Invincible
by LittlexNightingale
Summary: As a novice hero, Airi Usui plans to attend U.A. High as her mother did. She has a decent quirk, both offensive and defensive, but lacks the physical strength to control it. Her friends support her decision, selfish as it seems. Her boyfriend, not so much. But she has a resolve that might change his mind. Will it work? Or will she be stuck playing sidekick all her life?
1. Resolve

Chapter One | Resolve

This day was going downhill fast. For someone like me, not at ease with change, I was taking the news of selection day like any other – with my breath held.

Class 3 – F, regarded as the least to be expected to succeed – my homeroom, was in constant debate. Where do we go from here? Ten months from now the entire 3rd year student body will be taking the entrance exams to our school of choice. For my peers, it was an easy decision. Most of them didn't have big dreams for the future. Others, including myself, were hitting the books early. My target is the national school, U.A. High.

I told myself that it wasn't impossible for me to become a hero. I am at the top of my class, have a decent quirk, and in a few tries, I even aced the mock exams. In the who's who of notable applicants for U.A., I am on that list. Even so, I am one of many that intend to apply. I'm content with my odds. But that's not what has my day in shambles. This matter is far more worrisome than whether I get into U.A. or not.

 _Will you tell him?_ I read over the message again, feeling more nervous than before. Yes, I want to say. Instead I opt to message Izuku back, and rest my eyes before the 'end of day' bell chimes. I had already decided last night that I would tell my boyfriend the truth, before otherwise, so no matter how scared I am, I will tell him. Just not today. Not with selection day around the corner.

Of course, my body didn't want to agree with me. By the time I left the classroom, bolting to class 3 – A down the hall, I had already loosened the ribbon on my uniform and counted backwards from ten to one. I was a nervous, trembling mess. But this didn't compare to what I was about to face.

The room to classroom A emptied out rather quickly this afternoon. Rumors of All Might in the city hit the alerts of every student in the building. I expect most of them were headed into Hamamatsu to see if they may well catch a glimpse of the 'symbol of peace.' I would be there too, if not for my promise to Izuku to meet with him first.

I owed him a trip to the ice cream shop, since he covered for me the last time. He suggested that we'd meet up in his homeroom and take the rail into the city, which is what I had intended to do. But as I opened the door and popped into the room, I staggered into the forward – facing body of a certain ash blond. He cussed when I bumped him, but otherwise narrowed his blood – colored eyes when he took notice of who I was.

"Afternoon, Katsuki!" My smile fell upon seeing him, but I did the best I could to put on another, in hopes that he didn't notice.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He noticed. No surprise there.

I ignore his question at first, peeking over his shoulder and seeing the freckle – faced boy I was searching for. He was looking just as nervous as I felt, glancing at me beneath the shag of green bangs in his face. I gave him a gentle smile, and brought my attention back to the glaring eyes of the blond prude.

"Just surprised is all," I lie. Moving into the gap between us, I softly kiss his cheek – much to his annoyance. "I didn't think you'd still be here after hours."

Stepping back, I shot a glance at Izuku. "Hey, Izuku! Are you okay?" Even I could tell that before I walked through the door, an altercation took place between Katsuki and he. The wet gleam in his sad eyes clued me in on the level of verbal abuse the blond must have put him through. In addition, the cackling voices of the fools Katsuki associates himself with were amid all the drama, meaning whatever Katsuki did or said got a reaction out of Izuku that was in their opinion, quite entertaining.

I wonder if they realize how wrong they were about the poor boy? Being without a quirk didn't make him any less of a person. He was still the same nerdy, shy boy I remember from way back then.

Izuku gave me a quick nod, muttering a quiet 'yes' beneath his breath. I knew better, but I left it at that. If Izuku wanted to talk about it, he would. Patience was so hard to keep around this boy.

For the meantime, I decide to take another approach to this situation, one that should kill two birds with one stone. I'll feel bad about it later, but Izuku is right; I should tell Katsuki the truth while it's still possible.

"Let's take a rain check on that ice cream, Izuku. I have something I need to speak with Katsuki about first." My stomach feels turned upside down. All the 'bad nerves' are coming back, but the gentle smile Izuku gives me seems to soothe them into ease.

Surprisingly, Katsuki has managed to keep his cool this entire time. His lips are curved up to bare his teeth – probably from being ignored, but he seems level. I reach and touch his wrist, gentle at first, and when he doesn't make a move to pull himself from my reach, I cup my hand around his.

"Can we talk? Please. I won't take up much of your time."

His actions become rough, almost possessive as he rips his hand from mine and switches our positions; his calloused fingers taking ownership of my own. "Just stop babbling and come on. I'll walk you home."

I smile at the sight of red blush across his pale cheeks. Being agreeable was something Katsuki didn't do often, but despite his rude manner of expressing that he in general didn't think of me as a waste of space, he was still ill at ease with calling me his girlfriend. "Kay!"

As we leave, I give one more reassuring smile to Izuku and follow Katsuki into the hollows of the busy city. My only hope is that my resolve will remain strong enough to last this day. Already I am not so sure.


	2. Shatter Me

Chapter Two | Shatter Me

I was ominously right. Katsuki was not in the slightest bit interested in what I had to say. Since our leave from the school, the blond was occupied. He had been keeping mostly to himself, only responding to our questions with a brief shake of his head. I was worried that he already knew. Even with me talking nonsense in his ear, Katsuki had barely spoken a word to the three of us since his blow up about Izuku earlier on.

How could I break the news to him like this? His whole demeanor screamed explosive, and I was in fear of how adverse he would react to hearing it – to Izuku more. Even so, his silence was tearing at my last nerves.

In the past, regardless of how angry Katsuki would get, he was still somewhat verbal with me on how he felt. But this time, he seemed to be almost sulking. Could it be that he feels in jeopardy of losing the praise from his followers to Izuku? A good – natured boy without a quirk unseating the king of arrogance from his throne. Looking at the unhappy expression on his face at this moment almost caused me to think he had already believed this to be true.

This wasn't like the Katsuki I knew, and I honestly couldn't stand it. I walk in step with him and reach to circle my arm into the curve of his own. He relaxes a bit, but his mind is still not with me. I figure now is the safest time to bring up the matter at which I needed to speak with him about.

"I'm planning on entering U.A. with you," I reveal, burying my nails into the fabric of his blazer.

His friends, whose names I have forgotten, overhear me and stammer in surprise at my bombshell of a statement. Katsuki, on the other hand, brings his attention to me and turns the corners of his mouth down into an incensed scowl. His eyes are wild. "The hell did you just say?"

I feel my heart pound like a drum against the inside of my chest. This idea seemed much easier when Izuku and I practiced it. Now that I was nearly alone with Katsuki, face to face, I realized how terrible my timing was. But again, I try to explain. "I said that I want to be a pro hero too. My grades are passable and I have been working with my –"

"I don't know what nonsense that damn nerd has been telling you, but ignore it," Katsuki snaps, stopping me from selling it. The idea was to make myself seem notable, but he could care less. Besides, I should have known that the blond would somehow put Izuku at fault for this.

"This wasn't his idea. It was mine," I attempt to clear up. Well, sort of. It was Katsuki who put the thought into head at the beginning. But Izuku, well, his determination to be a hero is what convinced me. I want to earn a name for myself that even All Might would never forget. "I want to show you that I am more than just an extra."

Katsuki relaxes his defiant stare, but his lips are in a lasting frown. "I said no," he declares, then slips his arm from mine, and begins to move on without us. I want to stop him, shout at him even, but with someone like Katsuki, words are hard to express without making him even angrier.

"What's the deal, Katsuki?" To my surprise, the long – fingered teenager gives me his encouragement. "Airi has a pretty cool quirk too. Why not let her try?"

The blond snaps around, throwing to him a hateful glare as he trudges over to us. I can only assume this won't be good, and it's not. Because once he is to the front of us, he lashes out, burying his fingers into the fabric of the boy's uniform and removing him from his spot between us.

"Got something to say, dumbass? Say it." Katsuki was livid, shaking the other boy like a rag doll, despite his cries of defense. Wisps of silver grey smoke curl and dance their way into my sight as they ascend from the blond teen's fists, dirtying the air with the odor of burning cloth. His disregard for the rules are baseless in my opinion, even more so when he uses his quirk against someone thought to be a friend.

I can't take much more of this. Someone may well get hurt. I spring forward and take hold of Katsuki's sleeve, giving it a defiant tug back. "That is enough, idiot. Let him go."

He did just that, dumping his friend like a hot brick. But now I am standing in the way of the blast zone. As his fingers curl around my wrist, I can feel the extreme heat of his quirk smother my skin like warm body wrap. The feeling of it soothes me, but also, it angers me as well.

My sudden glare becomes exposed when I glance into his tired, red eyes. It's like no matter how solid my expression is, Katsuki can break down my heavily guarded barriers. I can hardly believe myself. How could I hope to be his equal?

Angry sobs rack my body. "I just wanted for you to give me your support. Why is that so hard for you?" The tone of my voice sounds like a whisper lost to the loud, humming sounds of the city.

The warmth from his quirk dissipates from my trembling fingers as he hastily fills the small gap between us, banging his forehead against mine. The sudden pain it inflicts makes me gasp in pain. I hate this, and he knows it hurts. Up till now, Katsuki hasn't done it in years, not since the argument we had during our second year of middle school. It was such an ignorant thing, and even now, it still was. But it meant something. It was to keep me calm.

On the other hand, the blond was never good at comforting the sorrows of others, even to his own girlfriend.

"Forget this dream of wanting to be a hero, because I won't be fucking indulging you," he barked. Long, calloused fingers dug into the back of my skull. "To be a hero, you need to be strong. You are not."

I imagine the look of shock on my pale face as the words seemed to sink in. He was right, but I could get stronger. I won't be told otherwise. Still, Katsuki's rebuttal made me feel as if my heart had shattered to pieces. It truly hurt.

A watery haze filled my line of sight, blurring the seething blond in front of me. I snapped, and like an angry child, I shot back at him with every intention of hurting his pride. "It's a wonder anyone considers you something special, because all you are is a spoiled brat with a superiority complex, not even fit to be a hero."

I pushed my way out of his arms and left him to simmer in his own arrogant thoughts. Katsuki didn't follow me, but I wish he had. I have never seen him so defeated.


	3. Out of Body Thinking

Chapter Three | Out of Body Thinking

This relationship between Katsuki and I is over. I'm certain of it, because I am the one going to end it.

After the heart – to – heart we had turned sour, I decided to walk up and down the block, mulling over all my options for the upcoming term. It was in ten months, and even though I was already book smart, I had done near to nothing to prefect my quirk. I am not exactly strong, as Katsuki would agree, but grasp my potential I can do. I know my quirk inside and out; my weaknesses and my strengths. But coming up with a counter for them was taking everything I had as far as physical strength goes.

I stop, feeling like a complete idiot for storming off like I did. I must have looked like one too, considering the size of the crowd I had pulled. With an awkward smile, I apologize and move on, settling on going home. Was I just talking to myself back there? My burning eyes catch my reflection in a store window and I can see why they were staring at me. It's my quirk. Sometimes when I cry, my control over it weakens, and in doing so, my tears begin to hang around me. I guess emotions are another key item I need to work on.

Once I give myself a small and quiet pep talk, my tears begin to fall. They leave small blemishes on the pavement that I stare at for a moment before patting down my tangle of blue hair that Katsuki made a mess of earlier. My heart fills heavy at this. Why must I always do this to myself? I'm feeling guilty for the things that I said to him, but another side of me agrees that he deserved it. I shouldn't think too much on it now. What's done is done. That still leaves the matter of breaking up with him.

A text is how I decide to do it. It's a dumb idea. I should just suck it up and tell him face to face, but honestly, I don't want to see him right now. He's a self – centered jerk, and I think he needs a little more time to go over what he's done. Still, I'm not giving him much of an option to make things right. Eventually, I'll cave and go running back to him. That's why I must do this now, while I'm still upset.

My cell is already in my hand, flipped open. I find Katsuki's name in my contact list, but before I can scroll down to it, a call interrupts me. It's from Izuku. Without delay, I accept and move the device up to my ear.

"Hello? Hi Izuku!"

"Hey! How are you doing?"

I feel a little confused with his question. Shouldn't it be me asking how he is doing? Last time I saw him was in his homeroom after Katsuki bullied him. I don't know the details well, but Izuku seemed to be upset. Funny how he always puts others before himself. The generosity he gives me brings a smile to my face. "I'm fine. And you?"

"Same," he answers with a short reply. It was obvious he was not. I wonder if he thought the same about me?

"Are you busy? We can meet up."

"I'm free," he utters.

"Cool. I'll meet you at the vending machine near the shop at the crossroads. I could use a cold water after the day I've had," I go on to say.

Izuku laughs softly through the receiver. "Me too. See you there."

"Later!"

Once I hang up the line, I huff a sigh of relief. It's good to have friends I can be sure of. I know that no matter my dream Izuku will neither laugh at me or tell me to forget it. Sometimes I wish Katsuki was like that; supportive. He was a 'don't tell, show me' kind of person, and that is exactly what I plan to do. Right after I have a little heart – to – heart with my best friend, that is.

* * *

"He is the worst." I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have lost a little respect for the symbol of peace after today. My idol turned out to be a real disappointment.

Izuku says that I am making a big deal out of nothing, and I may well be. I am beyond annoyed after all. How am I supposed to react to hearing this? My heart feels like it's hotwired to a car battery, jumping in my chest from the adrenaline. The nerve of All Might.

He may have meant well, telling the quirkless teen that he couldn't be a hero because of his lack of ability, but it was how Izuku explained his reaction, like he didn't care about his dream that made my blood simmer. It was all so stupid; the whole meeting and that ash blond idiot who started this. Still, through my entire rant, Izuku acted just fine. The gleam of wet tears stained his eyes, but he listened. Honestly, it made me feel a little self – centered.

I huff a sigh and sit beside him on the wayside next to the crossroads we agreed to meet at. It is late in the afternoon, but neither of us want to split and go home so soon.

"Just don't overthink this, Izuku. Power doesn't make a hero," I gently explain. My arm moves around the back of his trembling shoulders as he quietly sobs. Even if I can't cheer him up, I can at least show him that I am here for him. He doesn't seem to mind though, and leans in against the curve of my arm.

"Does it? I used to think not."

I raise a brow at this. He can't expect me to believe that he's just given up. Not when he said he'd try. Even if he doesn't get into U.A. like planned, the freckle – faced teen can at least say he gave it an honest shot. I push a water bottle underneath the hollow of my arm and bring my hand around in front of us, pinky out.

"Do something for me, kay?" Izuku gives me a wide – eyed stare, probably evaluating my motives, but nods his head anyhow. I continue, content with his trust in me. "Promise me that no matter what happens, you will become a hero. I believe in you. So, give me your word that you will take the entry exam when it comes time."

His green eyes over flow with tears, pouring down his rosy cheeks as he locks his pinky around mine. "Thank you, Ai." On cue, he looks alarmed.

"But what about you? Don't you still want to be a hero too?"

"Yeah," I answer quietly. I want to, but I still have some doubts. Katsuki is not an easy person to reason with. But regardless of these negative thoughts I smile. "I'm going to be a hero, even if I have to get mean and tell Katsuki off."

"But he's so scary," the green – eyed teen laughs.

I laugh in total agreement. There is no doubt it, and like the flip of a coin, I feel a little better. But it doesn't last.

Izuku notices something in the distance, not too far from our position. A few of the citizens in the area have gathered in front of a one lane street, watching something that I assume is a hero and villain showdown. I can hear the faint roar of flare – ups if I listen carefully enough. The inner fan girl comes out, and with one eager look to Izuku, we decide to check it out.

The very first thing I become aware of as we squeeze in close is the heat. A fire has been lit; the flames engulf the buildings and in moments encircle the whole street. Heroes like Backdraft try to put out the eruption of sparks, but the villain they are facing seems to be untouchable. But his shapeless mass is not the cause. He has a hostage, and his quirk is centered around explosions; Katsuki's well – known quirk.

Could it be him? I hear a gasp of shock from Izuku as he curls his fingers over the expanse of his open mouth. Does he also think the hostage is Katsuki? Whoever he is, the boy is resisting. He screams and thrashes in the villain's sludge – like grip, but the more he does, the weaker he seems to become. Then at long last, the sludge man has him. The boy's head lifts, nearly covered by the viscous mixture, and in that moment, I feel a little bit faint. The hostage is Katsuki.

I begin to cry out, screaming his name. My voice only sounds like a whisper amongst the mummer of the crowd. But help arrives. It's in the form of a green – eyed boy, who is someone that not even the heroes would expect to act. Izuku dashes through the mass of people, ignoring the orders of the powers that be to save a person who bullies him daily.

I can't seem to focus. What can I do? Will my quirk even work? So many questions cross my mind and before I even realize it, I am running after the reckless teen. What has come over me so suddenly?

I quicken my pace and catch up with Izuku just as he sheds his pack and throws it at the sludge man. It seems to work, but just enough to startle the villain. He retracts in fear of what's in the school bag and leaves a big opening; his eyes.

With no time to think and barely any time to act, I unwind the lid on the water bottle in my hand. The five hundred milliliter container is a quarter full so I must think small with the form it takes. I settle with a small – scale sphere, moving the water from the bottle and into the air by signaling with my fingers. It's not perfect, but the liquid retains its shape as I envision it. My fear of failing however, causes it to wave. If I miss this shot, I may not get another.

So, I take it. To keep the burst low – powered I shoot the water into an extensive range in rapid succession. It hits its mark, but the damage is too small to hurt the sludge man. A tiny short release of water can only cause him some discomfort, which it seems to do. It allows Izuku some time to reach Katsuki. But only for a minute. The villain recovers faster than I had anticipated and swings his giant, wet open – hand at Izuku and I. Neither of us have a way to defend ourselves and I fear he will crush us flat.

But that doesn't happen. A tall, broad figure comes in between us. He shouts something in a deep, calm voice and scatters the villain into piles with a single punch. The shockwave at close range nearly blows me back, but at last second the massive hero pulls me to his side, protecting me as I hang on to his arm. Katsuki and Izuku are dangling from his other, both out like a light.

When the effects wear off, the sky opens and rain begins to fall. I stare up in shock at the man before me; All Might, the symbol of peace. The very same man I claimed to have lost respect for earlier. How rude of me. This man saved my life.

"Thank you," I stammer out. Like a well – mannered teenager I make eye contact, but my sight floods over with tears. I've kept a strong façade on all day. Its near time I broke down.

"Think nothing of it, young miss," he says politely. All Might never stops smiling even as he lays the insentient bodies of Izuku and Katsuki on the ground beside me.

I reach out and take their hands, thankful that we are alive.

"Friends of yours?" I nod to his question. Ever since we met way back then. The bulking man kneels beside me and pats my head. "Keep a close watch on those two, but remember, no villain will do harm to them while I am near." I will not take his words for granted. A smile reaches my face.

All Might – my idol – leaves me to watch after the two boys as he deals with the press. Heroes rush in to clean up the aftermath of the battle and a nice police officer stops to ask me how I'm doing. I am great.

At some point in the chaos, the boys wake up and we are split. Backdraft stays with me, both scolding me for my reckless behavior and honoring me for my quirk. He and I share a similar one, but I doubt I can make water without a source. Besides, the consequences of using it, no matter how small result in a massive headache. I just want to go home.

After the whole mess is done and over, I am free to go. Other than a few small burns from the fire, I am in great shape. I never get to say goodbye to Izuku, but I can just text him when I get home. He got yelled at badly. Katsuki, on the other hand, I ran into near the station. He glares at me as I approach the gate. The train will be a while, so I hum to myself in the meantime.

"There is blood on your face, you know?" His harsh voice catches me off guard, and I squeak in shock. The glare on his face seems to falter.

I give a gentle laugh. "I overdid it a bit. Sorry."

"Deku has been rubbing off on you," he growls. But instead of going into a full – blown outburst, the blond surprises me by huffing an irritated sigh. "I swear the two of you just try to piss me off."

I chuckle at this. He can be so cute sometimes. Of course, his mouth usually ruins it. Alas, this is one of those time. "What's so funny, dumbass?" The tone of his voice sends waves of pain into my head. Does he have to be so loud? The headache is still with me, urging me to pout.

To my surprise, he stops and moves into my personal space. I feel my face heat up, but he quickly licks his thumb and begins to clean what I assume to be the blood from my nose. This is gross, and what's worse, is that people are starting to watch.

"Katsuki stop it," I wine. He's like an overprotective mother.

He does so and steps back, looking at me. His lips curl up and over his teeth as he growls at me. "Take better care of yourself. I can't always be around to save you."

I frown; I know what he's doing. But I won't let him sucker me into forgiving him so easily. He can't expect me to. "I can't do this anymore." My vision clouds over with tears. I must tell him. But when I open my mouth to say it, he covers my lips with the palm of his hand.

"No," he hisses very simply.

This angers me. "I'm not talking about the exam, stupid. And you don't get to tell me no," I snap back. What's his problem anyway? He makes me so mad.

The feeling is reciprocated, apparently, because he scowls at me and grabs the front of my uniform, pulling me against him. "Fuck you! I'm not giving you an option. You don't get to break up with me whenever you damn well feel like it, understand?" Is he being for real?

"But you're being unfair," I cry out. My lip quivers. "I want to be a hero too. Don't I get to have a say in this?"

It goes silent between the two of us for a moment. I half expect Katsuki to disagree, but he doesn't. The grip he has on my shirt loosens, until he just lets me go and turns his back to me. Not this again. He's just going to ignore me for the second time today. But that won't make the situation just go away.

"Why did you try to save me earlier? Was it because of this?" I clinch my hands into a fist. He thinks I was trying to make a point. The nerve of him. Honestly, I wasn't exactly sure what urged me to do it. My body just moved on its own.

"I don't know," I admit sadly. "A sort of out – of – body thinking, I guess."

Katsuki turns around and glares at me. "You are a damn idiot, you know that? If you want to be a hero so badly, then don't expect me to hold your hand. Show me that you can stand on your own."

I plan to. He is going to give me a shot, so no matter what, I can't take it for granted. The next ten months of my life are going to be a living hell.


	4. Game On

Chapter Four | Game On

The next ten months are over before I can appreciate them, and the general entrance exam is today; this morning in fact. I woke up early, before the sun, and ran the block. The cool, autumn weather froze me to the bone, but I feel in high spirits. For the first time since I was little I am sure of myself. My will is stronger than before.

Ever since the sludge incident I have trained day-to-day with a balanced routine. But with the third term going, I didn't get as much done with my emotional training as I would have liked. My quirk still needs practice, but I at least made some improvement. This morning I used the extra time to cram in a little more training.

I stand heal to toe on a narrow, handmade balance beam in the backyard, working on a method to improve my focus. The last time I did this was during the 5th grade for gym, when I was certain being a pro acrobat was the future I wanted. I gave it up, but the memories are still fresh. I doubt it's something I can forget, like the years of track I endured for the sake of my parents. Muscle memory is a remarkable act. In this case, it helps me to keep my sense of balance while I use my thoughts to rotate the water at my fingertips.

I keep my head up as I slowly walk, focusing on shaping the water into a spiral. It's not easy; the strain on my head is painful. My limit is only five minutes before the nosebleeds start and I waste two on stopping to collect myself. The liquid loses its shape once, but I focus and secure it. So far, so good.

The end of the beam takes but a steady minute to get to, and once I am done, I will the water to tumble. It feels good for the practice I have put in to work. But the exhaustion is another story. I wipe the sweat from my face and grab my workout gear, deciding that I should eat and probably grab a shower before I leave. But the minute I step into the house I am greeted with the burning smell of grilled fish and overcooked rice.

I curl my nose at this and move into the kitchen where my father is. He stands over the stove, light-colored bangs clipped back, cursing at the mess he made as he attempts to scrape the charred, unidentifiable clumps into the trash bin.

He turns to look at me with a shocked expression as I laugh. "Go ahead, make fun of me, but remember something, you won't leave this room until you've eaten it all." I laugh even louder at this, but my father only smiles. "This one is a waste, but I can make you another breakfast if you're hungry."

"No thank you. I appreciate it, but I will probably grab something small on the way out," I reply. A big meal right before the hands-on portion of the exam doesn't sound like an agreeable idea. Eating usually makes me feel sluggish and ready for a nap. I don't want to risk it, but I still should eat.

As an alternative, I take an apple from the fruit basket on the countertop and begin munching on it while I watch my father clean up. It's strange to see, because he doesn't usually do the housework; mother does. But she has been sick a lot recently. I wonder if that has something with the reason why my father is doing this.

"Something wrong, kiddo?" His stern, gentle voice drags me from my thoughts. My guess is that he could sense the look of uncertainty I was giving to him. Still, I shake my head and go back to eating my breakfast.

"Don't look so down," he adds, returning to his work. "Bakugou may seem like he's mad right now, but he does look after you. Give him some time."

I hum in doubt. This wasn't exactly about Katsuki, but it's good to know my father puts his trust in him. He used to be team Izuku; a memory that still makes me feel uneasy. I would rather not get into the reason with him, but I also would rather not give my father a reason to interrogate me about this. I hate that I can't do anything to help mother, but I can't change fate either.

There is a tightness in my chest that makes me feel like crying, but instead of tearing up, I smile and give my father a gentle smile. "I know. Thank you."

After I have finished the apple, I take a quick shower, grab my gear, and leave the house. The train is a forty-minute ride to the next station, but I have time to rest. I've been thinking too much about all the bad things in my life these past few months that I never stopped to consider the large step I have taken into the future. Hours from now, I could may well be one step closer to becoming a real hero. It is game on from this point.

I smile to myself and stare out the window as the train moves through the city; my very own playing field.

* * *

Izuku looks much different than I remember. Didn't he used to be thinner? I'm amazed by just how much effort he put into working out during the ten months before the start of the new term. His body looks ready to go, and his eyes seem to glow with a new-found strength that he didn't have before the sludge man incident. Was this really the same frail boy from before?

His attention drifts in my direction, and I realize that I have been looking him over since I ran into him at the station. Things get awkward pretty quick. I attempt to cover up my slipup with an apology, but the nervous look on the teen's face makes me laugh. He is still the same Izuku; new wrapper but the same old, timid boy.

"No need to be shy. You look great," I assure him. It's still a shock to me just how much muscle he gained since I last saw him. He looks so grown up now.

"Thank you, but measured up to the others, I feel the least bit prepared," he admits quietly. His eyes return to scanning the school grounds as he tightens his fingers around the straps of his backpack. It's a nervous gesture, I imagine, and I can't blame him. I'm feeling rather anxious myself and because of this, I honestly don't know what to say that might help ease him. I'd feel like a bad friend if I got his hopes up.

We move toward the entrance in silence. It's a cold morning, and I regret not wearing a scarf, but I honestly assume the exam will be held in doors so I didn't bother. On the other hand, U.A. High is nice. I have yet to see the inside, but the outside is huge. The pavilion we're passing through is lined in the busts of every hero that ever graduated from the school, and while not many of the initiates are paying attention to them, I find comfort in knowing that so many have gone pro. It means that there's a chance.

Izuku suddenly stops and nervously covers his mouth with the palm of his hand. He looks like he's about ready to hurl. I want to help him stay calm, but before I can open my mouth to speak, a voice interrupts me.

"Move aside, Deku." Katsuki stands behind us, glaring at the teen. His eyes move over to me briefly, but they don't lose their intense stare. I remember the words my father left with me, and try not to seem troubled by it. He'll come around, eventually. Even so, his arrogance brings me to feel in doubt with this.

Would it have been different if we'd have broken up that day? I doubt it. Katsuki is himself after all. He spits an insult at Izuku and quickly shoves passed him, but not before he seizes my wrist and pulls me to him. I squeak in surprise, crying out his name as he drags me away.

The blond gives me the impression that he is annoyed. By what, I'm not sure of, but he's being insensible with how he is dealing with it. It's annoying, and his heated grip stings.

"You're hurting me," I hiss.

Katsuki immediately lets go, choosing to shove his tightened fists into the pockets of his baggy pants. He is unusually quiet, leaning his body slightly forward as he walks. I am quick to notice that he is listening for something. As we are close to the entrance of the school, I hear it. Katsuki's name is mentioned amongst a group of male students.

I hear them make mention of the sludge incident and nearly freeze up. I see now; Katsuki is being pitied. Has it been like this for him since day one? I can't imagine how annoyed he feels. He must hate it. His shivering body suggests bad things to come if he doesn't calm down. The method he uses on me doesn't work as well on him, however.

My fingers gently slide around the curve of his arm, luring him close enough that I can lean my cheek against his shoulder. "Thank you for the date last weekend," I bring up.

Our backs are to them and inside the door before he responds. "That wasn't a date, idiot. We hiked up a hill, and last time I checked, that's not considered a date."

I hum in disapproval. "That's not exactly true. It doesn't have to be noteworthy to be considered a date. The point is that we spent time alone together."

"Whatever floats your boat," he snorts. I laugh at this; typical Katsuki.

He and I remain silent, walking arm in arm as he leads us through a crown of examinees into the school's auditorium. The room is massive, but it's nearly filled beyond capacity. A wave of nervousness fills me. I clutch the teen's arm and allow him to locate our seats – middle role and directly to the front of the stage. Once we sit, I notice Izuku stumble in. I wave him over and he takes the seat to the left of us. There isn't much said between the three of us, however, and I realize there is no need for it. The exam is close to beginning.

All of a sudden, the rest of the chatter in the room is drown out. "Welcome one and all to my live show! Everybody say heeeey!" I recognize this loud and direct voice from the radio as belonging to Present Mic. He is an inspiration. I clap enthusiastically, but Katsuki grabs my wrist and pulls my hand into his lap.

"Tone it down a notch, you damned nerd. You're doing that in my ear," he snaps.

I quietly apologize. He knows I can't help it.

The auditorium is silent as the grave as Present Mic continues on, explaining the low-down on the how the exam will be conducted. Each of the examinees are given a card with their picture, name, and battle center on it – labeled A through G. I am in E, but in addition to this are instructions of what each of us will encounter during the ten-minute practice run. While Katsuki is talking to Izuku I steal a glance at his card. He is in center A. I am both sad and relieved that I won't be joining him; the latter because I would rather not be shown up by him. He's too good – I admit to that. As I see it, I have no other option but to avoid the area traps – Present Mic explained them to us since an examinee asked about them. They rampage when crowded, but more than that, area traps cost no points. It would be a waste of time to try and fight them, and so I make a vow to avoid them and stack points by taking out the smaller targets. Piece of cake. I can do this.

I come up with a quick exchange, and tug on Katsuki's hand to get his attention. Once I have it, I lean close to him, feeling my face heat up. "Make a bet with me. Please!" He huffs in annoyance, but doesn't tell me no. I take this as a sign to continue. "If I score high in the practical exam, I want you to take me on a real date," I whisper. It's not like he'd have to go out of his way to impress me.

His eyes soften, but just as quick he narrows them. "Whatever, but if you don't and you fail, I want you to never mention this damn hero business again."

I almost disagree, but I understand the necessity of his demands. Katsuki was already against me attending, so this deal going south would be his best attempt to keep me from trying to be a pro hero. He would still more than likely take me on the date, however. I may have bit off more than I could chew. At least I can say I gave it a shot if I fail. "You have a deal," I agree.

A presentation on school precepts begins on the overhead projector and as much as I try to pay attention I can't. I am nervous. Suddenly, however my hand stings. Katsuki has purposefully burned me. I pull my hand from his, giving it a shake.

"The hell was that for?"

"Focus, or you won't be getting that date," he growls. I see. He is trying to stir me up, keep me in the game.

But still, did he have to burn me? He is such a jerk. But he's right, I do want that date. The uneasiness can wait, I have a game to win. Once, the presentation is over, we part. I follow the cluster of examinees that are in center E to the dressing rooms, before we are ushered out onto the field. I have no idea the struggles I am about to face.

 _To be continued ..._


	5. Electro Heart

Chapter Five | Electro Heart

I did not like this sudden turn of events. Since the very start of the exam I took notice of the immense site center E is – the bus drops us off across campus and 100 yards from the closest inner-city. It's no surprise however, that the loud and booming voice of Present Mic is heard from a column facing the seven pitches. He begins the exam and participants quickly enter – I am close to last, choosing to stay behind so that I may survey the field. This costs me a chance to earn points when the robots are seen, but I notice that only a handful of them are wandering, firmly about.

I split with the group at an intersection and go west from the entrance, assuming that more will appear. My hunch pays off, and before long I see them. A few 1 point robots and a 3 point sit on an open street. This is my chance to act, and so I race up to them, gesturing with my hands as I do. Like back in the alley, during the sludge man incident, I use the water from the jug attached to my belt to form a sphere. This one is bigger than the low-powered one I used on that day, and with decent aim I release it at rapid succession toward the first 1 point robot. These are said to be fast, but also very brittle. With surprise I hit the mark and manage to detach the head from the robot's lower frame, severing the brain and disabling it from sending information to the rest of the body.

Next are the remaining 1 point villains. I rotate the water at my fingertips and point, firing it like a bullet. The shot lands and the second robot falls – a narrow hole at the center of its head smokes. By now the others are alerted to my presence. They swarm me, screeching about murdering me in calm, monotoned voices. Taking aim, I fire again. Another falls; 3 points. The last is a large 3 point robot with missiles attached to its upper body. I have no doubt that it can fire them, but I don't wait to find out. Gathering the water into another sphere, I send it like a curve ball at the weak spot on the front of its head. However, the strength of the pitch is not enough to even crack the hard outer shell that surrounds the robot's body. While it advances on me I take the time to rest my quirk; constant 5 minute intervals will push my limit and give me a headache.

The 3 point robot draws close, squeaking loudly on its caterpillar track as it prepares for an attack. I plan to run and dodge whatever it sends my way, but suddenly a flash of light hits the pavement full force. It moves across the area like lightening and hits the robot in the center, forcing the machine into a fit of violent spasms before it slumps motionless to the ground. I realize this is indeed an electric type quirk.

"Nice shot," I hear a voice say.

From the narrow street across from me approaches a boy. He comes out of hiding and gives me a thumbs up. I can't help but feel a little mad. The 3 point robot is my target and I easily lost it.

Instead of throwing an insult I smile. "Not too bad yourself," I reply.

The teen returns his appreciation, "Got to say, I couldn't have done it without you. Those 3 point robots are a pain. They move slow, but they're built like tanks."

I can't agree more. While I misjudged their durability, I give credit to the fact I now know their weakness resides in the eye. If I hit that with enough concentrated water, the circuits that lead to the brain should fry out.

"Three minutes remaining." A voice over the public-address system alerts us of the time. Suddenly, a loud crash is heard. A building just ahead of us collapses to the ground, and from the debris appears a giant, looming robot. This is the area trap mentioned at the first half of the exam.

The blonde teen whistles across from me. "Best to stay away from that. It rampages when cornered."

Is that what it's doing? Suddenly I realize there must be people near it. Could any be hurt? I step forward, but the blonde throws out a hand to gesture me back.

"Don't tell me you plan to take that thing on by yourself? No offense Blue, but there's not much a pretty girl like yourself can do about those things. You know that, right?"

"I do," I inform him. "but there have to be people over there. You said it yourself, the area traps rampage when cornered. Someone could be hurt."

He pales in the face. "Not sure we get points for self-sacrifice, but do as you like." The boy turns. "Good luck to you." He gives me a thumbs up and runs in the opposite direction. Funny one, he is. For a guy who seems so cool, he acts like a total coward.

I give no more thought about the strange boy. Maybe I'll run into him again, but for now, I have a new goal in mind. There might be people to rescue ahead, or more robots to fight. I take a deep breath and follow my instincts.

Not much times remains on the exam, but I stack points as I approach the area the 0 point robot is seen; quick-fire techniques seem to do the trick. 10 additional points add onto my total before I get there.

The street is filled with debris, and very few robots are in the area. The 0 point robot looms above the contestants who stick to this location, but before long they flee as the massive giant seems to send buildings collapsing around them. I help one girl with long and wild hair stand as she falls while running. Her movement seems strained, but she assures me that she is okay. Another teen I give some water to, as he appears to be dehydrated. It's not much, but I do what I can to help. No more people are in the area, but before I am able to flee, a steal beam snaps and comes hurling down from above.

I bring a wall of water up around me on reflex, but something knocks me aside. When I glance up, I notice the beam misses me by a few inches and a red haired boy looms over me. His face becomes the same shade as his hair once he realizes the position we are in; him on top of me.

"S-sorry about that," he says, getting off me. The teen reaches out his hand and helps me up. For some reason I am reminded of Katsuki. This boy and the blonde prude I'm familiar with seem rather similar – the hairstyle, I think. "Close call, huh?"

"Yeah. Thank you for that. I could have very well been crushed." I give him a smile.

His cheeks turn red at this. "No problem. I wouldn't be much of a man if I didn't help out a pretty girl like yourself."

I feel nervous at this. For the second time today, two different boys have called me pretty. Not that I haven't heard it before, but somehow it makes me think less of myself. I don't want to be remembered as being pretty. I want to be remembered as the sort of person who has to skill to be a hero. I clear my throat and force a smile onto my face.

"I appreciate the help."

Just as the words leave me, a voice echoes around the city district. The exam is over. Shit! Was that really the end? Did I pass? Could I have failed? The red head doesn't look at all concerned with the announcement. He offers me a polite smile and we follow the directions Present Mic gives us regarding the second half of the exam – the written portion. Now I feel defeated.

* * *

Nearly a week later, I am waiting on Katsuki's front porch for the nerve to ring the doorbell. I want to see him before the results of my exam. The envelope came in the mail this morning, but I never got the chance to open it. Katsuki is the last person I want to see my score, but I don't want to be alone for this.

Without much of a drive, I knock on the door and wait. The envelope is pressed tightly to my chest as if I fear to lose it. The truth is, I don't care much about seeing it today. It took some persuasion from my father to leave the house after it came in, but here I am. To be honest, I hope there is no one home, but as the door opens in front of me, I am forced to slip on a polite smile.

Mitsuki stands in the doorway, watching me with her eyes wide. It's been a while since I came to visit. Katsuki and I usually meet near the station, so I imagine seeing me now is a surprise for her.

"Morning, Mrs. Bakugou. Is Katsuki home?"

"Are you two still together?" I feel taken back. Has it really been this long since the last time I came to visit? Was it a month ago? I don't remember. Mitsuki sounds generally surprised. She huffs in relief. "I was afraid the brat had scared you off or something. He's not forcing you to date him, is he?"

I actually laugh. "No, he's not." He did actually tell me I'm not allowed to break up with him, but I'm afraid of what Mitsuki will do if I tell her this. Instead I bring the envelope out for her to see. "I got my letter from U.A. this morning and thought I'd share my results with Katsuki since I may be attending the same high school with him."

"Good for you, kiddo. He needs someone to keep him out of trouble. The kid is a handful sometimes," she replies with a laugh.

Once the greetings are over, Mitsuki lets me in. I follow her to the stairs, but she splits off, heading into the kitchen. I know my way from this point. Slowly, I walk the few steps up to the second floor, and give a gentle knock to the blonde's bedroom door. Fortunately, I text him earlier, so when he opens the door, he seems like his usual self. There is a slight flicker of worry in his eyes when I mouth a good morning to him, but this soon disappears. Without much of a word, I follow him into the room and sit on the bed – Katsuki takes a seat at his desk.

"Thank you for agreeing to this. I know you have more important things you could be doing, but I – well I didn't want to look at the results alone." Tears sting my eyes as I try to find a way to thank him. This means a lot to me. "I'm a little nervous. I think I may have failed the actual exam. It was a little harder than I thought –"

"Knock it off," the teen snaps, interrupting me. "I'm taking the time to listen, so don't beat around the damn bush, and just spit it out." He asked for it. I hope he remembers this later.

The words flow from me like water. "I'm so scared, Katsuki. Things are worse than ever at home," I explain quietly. "She was doing so well. My mother was actually up and on her feet. It was like old times, but then she had another spell." The tears run quickly down my cheeks. Why did this have to happen? Today of all days is important to her. She made plans for us to read the results of my test, but the chronic migraines came too suddenly, causing her to faint.

I clutch the envelope in my hand. Why do I suddenly hate this thing? I don't even want to see it, but before I can process what is happening, the white slip is taken from my fingers. I hear the paper tear and my eyes grow wide. "What are you doing?"

Katsuki pulls the paper from inside, and tosses something small and round onto the floor. The disk flickers and an image appears above it. All Might is seen on the hologram. He quickly explains that he will attend U.A. as a teacher. I am surprised, but that soon passes when he continues on.

"On to the test results," he explains. "You did well, young Usui when it came to the written exam, and on the practical exam, your results were average. You managed to pull in a total of 15 battle points, but do not worry, because your real score was calculated based off of the rescue points you stacked up during the end of the test –"

Rescue points? I didn't know such a thing existed. Then again, being a hero is not all about fighting villains. I guess there are such things as this the judges look for.

"– with a total of 75 points, you passed. Welcome, Usui my girl, to your hero academia." The image of All Might soon disappeared. I sat here quiet, confused but also happy for my acceptance into U.A. High. This is what I wanted. Sadly, I am at a loss for words. More warm tears float into my face.

"I passed. I really did it," I whisper.

A hand pops me on the head. I yelp and glance up at Katsuki as he shoves the letter into my hands. It appears to hold a schedule of my first day, but I toss it aside. I lean forward and wrap my arms around the teen's sturdy waist. My face is against his stomach, but I can feel the warmth of his body increase slightly. I know he must hate this, but I can't help it.

"Can I hold you for a while?"

The blonde lets out an irritated grunt when I yank at his shirt. He moves my arms from around his body and plops himself onto the bed. This is not the first time I've done this. Katsuki seems to understand despite his attitude. I push myself against him, wrapping my arms around his waist again. He slips a hand into my hair and allows me to rest my head against his arm. This is as close as we get, but I don't mind. Neither of us really understand how to be a couple.

"I won that date," I say with a laugh.

Katsuki leans his head against mine. "Piss me off, and you can kiss it goodbye."

My grip around him grows tighter. The things that worry me are still fresh in my mind, but at least Katsuki knows how to make them better, if only for a little while.

* * *

 _A/N:_ _I want to say thank you to all my readers and I hope the ones who are reading this are enjoying it. Also, sorry on the long wait for this chapter, I'm currently moving, so I don't have the internet set up in my new house yet. Please stay tuned for more._


	6. It Only Hurts

Chapter Six | It Only Hurts

"Hold on just a second, you two."

Inko – Izuku's mother – catches us at the door. We are running late, thanks to me; I forgot to charge my cell phone. However, both of us stop to pose in a quick picture together before rushing to catch the train.

Our timing is fortunate as Izuku manages to catch the door before it closes. It's packed this morning, like most, but Izuku and I find a narrow corner near the front and move in close to free up space. We are lucky. A few seconds more and the two of us would have missed the train. I am out of breath, and looking at Izuku, I note that he is too. Suddenly, I can't help but chuckle. This catches the green-eyed teen's attention, inciting a cheery laugh from him as well.

"Sorry about that. My mother gets carried away sometimes," he explains.

"It's fine," I assure him. "Besides, it's my fault we didn't leave sooner. I asked you to wait on me, even though you were ready to leave."

Izuku tells me not to worry about it, but I do. This morning I had plans to meet with and walk to school with Katsuki, but my alarm never went off. I imagine he went on without me. The blonde isn't very patient, and after what happened between us, I doubt he wants the company.

The teen beside me deserves an apology. Katsuki chose to be rude to him once he found out that Izuku made it into U.A. High. I remember being in the middle of their argument and feeling helpless. I am with Katsuki, but I want to assure Izuku that everything will be fine. The two boys never allow me to speak, and by doing nothing, I feel like a bridge is being burned between us.

"Izuku," I call to him. He leans closer to me as I continue. "I want to apologize for Katsuki, for what he said to you after school a while back. You don't deserve that."

His hand gently touches my arm. "Airi, please don't worry." Izuku says nothing on behalf of the blonde. I expect an explanation, but maybe this is his way of showing me how well he can handle Katsuki now that he is mature. I give him a nod, despite my feelings. I trust him wholly, and I hope he feels the same.

Minutes later, the train makes its stop. We get off and rush to the school. Not much is said between us as we navigate through the massive building towards our homeroom; class 1-A. This is the first time we've shared a class together, and I wonder if Katsuki will be there too. Since the breakdown at his house, I never thought to ask him which homeroom he'd be in, or even if he passed the exam – I'm more than sure he did. And yet I hold my breath as Izuku opens the door. Just as I wanted, the blonde is here too. A wide smile pulls across my face.

"I'll catch up with you later," I tell Izuku, as I move around him and into the room. There seems to be a one-sided conversation going on between Katsuki and another student; the typical 'two-bit extra' insult he calls everyone he sees as a stepping stone in his way. I shake my head and walk over to them. Iida – he introduces himself as – looks appalled by the way Katsuki threatens him and turns his attention elsewhere. He quickly moves away and leaves me to speak with the blonde alone.

"I see you're making new friends already," I say with a laugh.

Katsuki grunts at this. "I won't even remember his name later." His arrogant smirk is replaced by a frown as he looks me over. "The hell are you wearing?"

I glance down at my clothes. Last I checked, I am in uniform, wearing the school's colors of grey and green. "Is there a problem with how I'm dressed?" Nothing seems off to me.

The blonde slides out his leg from under the desk and kicks me hard in the shin. I yelp in surprise. It hurts, but I see what he means; I'm not wearing knee high socks this morning. The weather seems nice enough for me to go without, so I wore anklets instead.

"They're within dress code, idiot. No need to be violent," I sulk, while rubbing my leg.

Since when does Katsuki care about how I wear my uniform? He never seemed to mind before. Besides, I look no different than I did in middle school; with the exception of wearing my hair down. I playfully stick my tongue out at him, but catch myself staring at a familiar male seated beside us. It's really him?

"I remember you," I say loudly, pointing my finger to the blonde with the lightning-shaped strokes in his hair. "From the entrance exam, right? You finished off that 3 point robot I was up against." The word I want to use is kill-steal, but in the exam I doubt such a thing is against the rules.

The male's eyes light up. I see he recognizes me too. "That's me," he confirms. A light shade of pink dusts his cheeks. "I have to admit, I'm happy that such a pretty girl remembers me."

I feel my face heat up at his words. Does he really think I'm pretty? I want to thank him, but another sudden whack to my shin makes me swear out in pain. The nerve of him. I give Katsuki an irritated glare, but he brushes it off like it means nothing to him and directs his attention to something across the room.

"Sorry about him," I say with a nervous laugh, glancing at the other male. I have no clue what is wrong with Katsuki. He's usually not this rude to me. "I'm Usui Airi by the way."

"It's a pleasure. I'm Kaminari Denki," replies the blonde. He lifts out his hand for me to take, which I do.

For a second, I believe that Kaminari blanks out on me, because his eyes become unfocused even though he is looking directly at me. This feels sort of awkward, so I pull my hand from his and snap him out of it. I don't think another person has ever looked at me so strangely before. While it seems flattering in a way, I don't entirely know how to reply to it.

Thankfully the moment never comes, because a deep voice ends the chatter in the room by way of insult, claiming our class lacks the common sense to settle down. I follow suit and look to the doorway, where a lanky, washed-up man is standing; sleeping bag huddled at his knees. He introduces himself as Aizawa Shouta, our homeroom teacher. I realize he must be a pro hero, but I'm not sure who he is.

Aizawa reaches into his sleeping bag and pulls out a uniform. It's bright blue with red strokes along the sleeves. The school's initials are printed in bold, white letters down the front of the two-piece set. "Wear these, immediately," he orders us. "And then shove off to the P.E. grounds."

Each of us quickly take a uniform from him, and rush off to the locker rooms to get dressed. Once I am wearing mine, I pull my hair into a lose bun and follow behind a girl with pink skin to the massive pitch outside the school. I stand close to Katsuki, feeling more nervous than before. The urge to take his hand washes over me, but I cross my arms over my chest and reframe from touching him while on campus.

When the entire class is present, Aizawa informs us that the reason we are here, instead of the opening ceremony is because he plans to have us do an apprehension test. I remember doing one in middle school, but without the use of my quirk, since they are barred from use. I'm happy to see that the department of heroics plan to teach its students to their full potential.

"The softball pitch, standing long jump, 50 meter dash, endurance running, grip strength test, sustained sideways jumps, upper body exercises, seated toe-touch. These are all activities you know from middle school, naturally," Aizawa explains. "Physical tests where you were barred from using your quirks." He mentions that Mext – the ministry of education, culture, sports, science and technology – is responsible for not getting around to keeping track of average performance levels. It means without the use of a quirk, a person may have a lower record of performance. I assume Aizawa wants to test our quirks to see how strong we are.

"Bakugou," Aizawa calls. "How far could you pitch a softball in middle school?"

"67 meters," the blonde replies.

I remember this. Katsuki excels in all the things he does, especially when it comes to physical activities. If he is allowed to use his quirk during this, I can only imagine the score he is going to rack up.

Aizawa motions him over to a circle 2 meters in diameter and tosses him a softball. "Try using your quirk this time around. As long as you don't exit the circle, anything you do is fine," he explains.

Katsuki is given the approval not to hold back. He stretches his arm and curls it back, pitching the ball. His quirk causes a shockwave that sends the ball soaring into the air, nearly blowing me back with the effect it makes. A sharp beep is heard as Aizawa lifts a small metric reader up for us to see. It reads 705 meters.

I clap happily for the blonde. Our class seems excited and in awe of what is to come. Unfortunately for us, that all ends when Aizawa sees we are more thrilled to be able to use our quirks than worrying about the hero training.

"All right then," he says menacingly. "In that case, new rule: the student who ranks last in total points will be judged hopeless, and instantly expelled."

Is he serious? I think he may be. Looking around, my fellow classmates have determination set in their eyes. Some seem nervous, like Izuku and myself, but I know we can make it. I bite my bottom lip and clutch my fingers into a fist. I won't come in last, and I will not fail.

* * *

The first trail Aizawa puts us through is the 50-meter dash. I am a little nervous about this one, since I know my water quirk will not be much help. However, I have years of track on my record, so by ending with 4.12 seconds, I manage to shave off a few minutes from my middle school record. I feel content with this, but I know at some point I need to show off how well I can use my quirk. My only problem is, when do I use it?

Trail 2 and 3 pass with ease, but I still don't get the chance to put my quirk into action. On the 4th trail – the pitch – I decide to augment my distance a little. The diameter of the circle is within my range, so I surround the ball with water from the holster around my leg, and focus on holding the ball up with my mind. It keeps suspended at the tip of my finger, and with a push, I shoot the concentrated water out like a bullet. Once it leaves my range, the water falls, but the ball continues to spiral into the air. The reader in Aizawa's hand goes off and reads 237 meters. Not too bad, but also not too good.

I return to Katsuki's side, and Izuku is next to pitch. He looks nervous and I can understand why, he's not doing so well. The last three trails nearly fail him. But I know he can do it.

"Midoriya's not doing too well, is he?" Iida is the one who spoke. He, a girl with brown hair, and a flamboyant blonde are next to us.

Katsuki choses to answer. "Of course not. He's a quirkless fucking guppy," he answers while pointing his finger at the boy. I pull down his hand, telling him not to be rude. The blonde doesn't listen.

Iida seems to reply something to his comment, but I don't hear it. Instead, I keep my attention on Izuku as he curls his arm back to pitch. However, the moment he lets go of the ball, it soars a few meters and then falls to the ground with a thump. The reader spots him at 46 meters. My heart aches for him. While Aizawa pulls him aside to talk, I reach and grab Katsuki by the arm.

"Do you really think he's going to get expelled?"

"No doubt about it," he answers with a grunt. His hand pulls mine from the sleeve of his uniform. "The hell are you so worried about? You managed to stack some points in this last trail."

He's really terrible at this, but even so, I smile. Besides, I'm not worried about me at the moment. I'm worried about Izuku. I want him to pass. Aizawa seems to allow him a second chance to pitch. He winds back his arm again and throws, but before the ball leaves his hand, a shockwave sends it soaring at full speed into the air. I can't believe this. What is this power? Could it have been a quirk?

"I – I don't understand," I whisper in alarm. Izuku didn't have a quirk. But then how do I label this? It undeniably is a quirk of some kind.

All of a sudden, I feel extreme heat pouring off the blonde next to me. I am in awe at the horrified expression on his face and take a step back. This isn't going to end well. No sooner than the words cross my mind, he flies into a rage. The effect of his quirk at close range is enough to knock me off my feet, but a pair of strong arms keep me upright.

"Careful now," the calm voice of my savior says. I glance back and see a familiar face. It's the spiky-haired male who saved me during the entrance exam.

"Hi again," I stutter nervously.

He smiles and helps me to stand. I want to thank him, but I'm more worried about the events yet to come, once Katsuki gets his hands on the curly-haired teen. Thankfully, Aizawa stops him before then, capturing the blonde with his scarf – he explains that it's a steel wire alloy woven with carbon nanofibers, a special capturing weapon.

"We're wasting time." Aizawa says, releasing Katsuki from his quirk. "Prepare for the next trail."

I stand motionless as a statue and watch. Izuku seems fine, other than a swollen finger. He doesn't make eye contact with me as he passes, but I do. He's avoiding me. I don't believe this. How could he do this to me? Tears threaten to pour from my eyes. Can he not trust me to tell me about this new found power? I hold back a sob and get in line for the endurance run.

* * *

It's the end of the first day. School is finally out, and I am tired. The remaining 4 trails made me doubt my quirk, seeing as I didn't use it as much, other than to hydrate myself and a few others. My determination helped keep me afloat, and despite the struggle, I end up ranking 9th out of the whole class. Izuku is dead last.

Fortunately for him, the whole expulsion thing happens to be a lie – round one goes to Aizawa. Class 1-A passes. For obvious reasons I don't feel very happy about it.

I follow behind Katsuki off campus, tottering slowly without so much as a care. The day seems nice, but I can't focus on anything but the events of the apprehension test. Izuku didn't trust me enough to tell me about his quirk. No, I need to let it go. But the more I think about it, the more I want to cry.

I bite my bottom lip and stare at the back of my boyfriend's head. He says nothing about earlier, but I know he is thinking about it too. Katsuki may be a hot-head, but most of the time he keeps his worries to himself. I'm not like him. I can't seem to understand why Izuku would keep this from me – he has a quirk. Didn't he know that I would be happy for him?

My eyes burn with tears. I just don't understand it. I can't help myself; I begin to cry. My body shivers with sorrow. I stop to collect myself, but a hand takes mine and pulls me forward. I lean against the blonde's chest and sob loudly.

"Stop being such a damn baby. People are starting to stare," he insults me. His warm arms wrap around my back.

I try to speak, but all that comes out are my cries. I bury my fingers into the fabric of Katsuki's blazer and hug him tightly. Would he lie to me too? Does he really care for me? It hurts to think about.

"Deku doesn't need you as a friend. Do you understand me? He doesn't deserve you."

I agree with a nod. The sobs go silent the longer we stand here. But Katsuki never lets me go. Could it be true? Izuku and I are close, but maybe I don't need him like I thought. Does he still consider me a friend? I don't know the answers, but I do know how much I want Katsuki to never lie to me. I need him more than ever right now.


	7. Persona

Chapter Seven | Persona

How can he expect me to accept that our friendship is over? Izuku is unpretentiously clever and manipulative – I will admit. He had me fooled from the start. But now, I see all the signs; somehow I had missed them along the way, at some point in our earlier years. He seems to have used my kindness to his advantage, protecting himself from his own dishonesties. This is the only way for me to cope – blame. I have to believe that Izuku is toxic; that he's enjoying this betrayal. But for what reason?

I have no reason to believe this. I just need to, making up stories in my spare time. I tell myself that Izuku is not really quirkless, nor has he ever been. He restrains his quirk; a resilient power that he wants to spit into the face of those beneath him. Izuku had lied to me, wanting my pity. It spirals from there and becomes my fault. I am still inspired by his determination, but I am not a good friend. I should have been on his side. Maybe then, he would have told me about his quirk and the reason he hides it. For now, I chose to blame him. Izuku ends our trust on a lie, and more importantly, he drives a bigger wedge into the nearly nonexistent bond with Katsuki.

I pity him, or so I claim. Honestly, I want to be angry with Izuku, but I feel like there's more to this. There's a reason for the lies; so many questions that need answers. I'm content with his new life, but I don't want to be. I'm so jealous of the two Izuku chooses as friends – Iida and the bubbly Uraraka. I see them break down his walls and inspire him to try harder; something I'm not able to accomplish. I absolutely hate it.

Anger courses through me. I curl my fingers into a tight fist. Then in seconds the whole length of my right hand burns in a minor ache. Recognizing that the pain is not self-inflicted I squeak in frustration, releasing my nails. The blond on the seat beside me yanks his hand from mine and shoots me a glare.

"Watch where you're digging those fucking talons," he hisses.

I nervously give an apology and rub over the red, crescent-shaped marks on his skin. "Want me to kiss it and make it feel better?" He ignores me, but I know he doesn't mind either way.

A gentle smile pulls at the corner of my lips as I happily smooth the pads of my fingers across his rough skin. Katsuki continues to eat his lunch, and leaves me to my own devices. I quickly find that my appetite is gone. The plate of skewered meat and vegetables I like so much is barely eaten on. It seems that no matter how hard I try, I can't put my anger to rest. I need to find ways to help me forget. However, the wound is still very fresh.

"General studies are fun," I mention, wanting to start up a conversation. "I'm learning more than I ever did in Orudera."

Katsuki snorts in disagreement. "I'm bored as hell with them. I never expected the hero course to be so dull."

I understand where this is coming from. Katsuki enjoys to prove himself. He craves action; combat to show off his quirk. But it's only the first day. Classes recap the things we already know, but the hero course is about training ourselves to become great heroes. The blond seems to believe winning is the only fundamental, but it's not. I will admit that mastering my quirk sounds fun, but I seem to have more patience in the matter of brains-before-brawn – he has both, but expecting to become a pro with only his ability is what he seems to hope for.

"Our afternoon class should be proactive – fundamental hero studies. I bet the teacher will have us doing something with our quirks."

"I may just blow off someone's damn head if they have us doing something normal again," Katsuki grunts.

I gently laugh. "So long as it's not me."

Katsuki glares at me. It's like I make him angry by just opening my mouth. I don't like the uneasy feeling he gives me, staring at me with those deep red eyes, almost like he reads my every thought.

"The hell is wrong with you?"

My face suddenly goes warm. "What do you mean? I'm fine – really. Why would you ask me that?"

"That's what I mean, fuck-munch. You're fine, you say. Bullshit! You were a sobbing mess yesterday because of Deku, and now you're chatting my damn ear off like nothing ever happened," the blond snaps.

"I'm trying to follow your advice," I admit sadly. "Izu – Midoriya doesn't need me as a friend. I accept this, but I'm not happy about it. After so many years of knowing him, it's hard to ignore the fact that I have to see him every day from now on." My heart feels heavy at this, but it's the truth. It's not easy to forget someone, but it's also not impossible either. It will take time, and it will take support. "Trust me, please."

Katsuki swats me on the head. "I do, idiot. Now let me sit here in peace."

I smile softly. "Only if you let me have a bite of your lunch."

He agrees, sliding down a bowl of steaming miso ramen to me. The hard-boiled egg and all of the chicken is gone, but the noodles remain. I decide to eat with my chopsticks since Katsuki may complain about sharing with me. Taking in a large bite, I instantly regret this. It's spicy – way too hot to be considered food.

"You knew and you didn't warn me," I cry with my mouth full. My stomach feels like it's burning.

"Don't like it, don't eat it," Katsuki says simply.

I cover my mouth and jump to my feet. First the bathroom, then to buy a bowl of rice. If I'm lucky Katsuki will choke on the broth before I get back. Honestly, how could I forget that he likes his food super-hot. This is the reason that I stopped taking his lunch back in middle school. Damn the blond, and damn his devious persona.

Tears fill my eyes. "So hot. So very hot."

* * *

He's here – All Might. I bite my lip in excitement, seeing him once again. The memory in which he saved me is still fresh in my mind. He told me that he'd never allow another villain to hurt my friends, and even though Izuku and I are no longer close, I truly value his words. I am so happy to see All Might in person again. He's much more spirited than I remember, but I enjoy his silly antics.

After the room settles down enough, All Might announces our first trial; battle. He flashes the card in front of the class and the room erupts in hysteric muttering. I sit quietly behind the girl with the large, spiky ponytail and mull over this recent happening. What will the class be fighting? Robots possibly, or maybe even one another. I chance a glance at Izuku to my right. Since the class is at an odd number, Aizawa had us move the seats into 7 columns; 3 to each roll. Ironically, I am seated next to Izuki, who at the moment appears shocked by the trial that All Might briefly touches on.

"– and to go with your first battle," the bulky man announces. A roll of panels begins to slide out from the wall. "We've prepared the gear we had you send in requests for to match your quirks."

The room again goes into hysterics. I smile in anticipation of what my costume will look like. I remember being vague about my design on the costume request form. I make mention that my quirk is thought to be a form of telekinesis, however, I am only able to control water, not make it. I note that I need plenty of containers to hold the fluid, and that after a long-drawn-out use I get headaches. The design is up in the air, but I hope the Subsidy did the costume justice.

All Might dismisses us with instructions to get changed and meet at Ground Beta. I quickly grab my case from the panel and rush to the girl's locker room to get dressed. I locate my locker and swing it open, ignoring the other girls as they rush in and do the same. Once my case is open, I shift around the contents and move them all out onto the bench. A note is inside with my uniform. It explains the basics of my costume, like urging me to wear a polyester rash guard and bottoms beneath my outerwear to avoid chaffing. I happily do so, then slide what appears to be a wetsuit made of foamed neoprene over it. The suit is unfortunately skin-tight, but the instructions make mention that this is so the polar lining fabric beneath the interior will reflect my body heat and keep water out of my costume.

The get-up is for the most part black, but a number of broad aquamarine stripes extend over the body. I work with the belt to keep it tight around my waist, and mount the 1 gallon cork bottles into the holders. The last item on the bench is a stylish coral headband with a seashell attached to it. I don't question the importance of it, nor do I flick through the instructions on how to use it. I'm already taking up time, so I pull my hair into a ponytail and tie the headband at the joint of my forehead and scalp. It's tight, but feels sort of like it belongs.

Now that everything is in place, I hang up my uniform in the locker and hurry down to Ground Beta. I join with the group and stand close to Denki as he seems like a reasonable person to be around. In the meantime, I'm able to size-up the others – their costumes are all very colorful and interesting. I casually talk with Denki until All Might calls the remaining students into position. Katsuki is among them, a literal walking time bomb. I politely excuse myself and walk over to him.

His deep, red eyes narrow as I stand in front of him. "The hell did you ask for?"

"I didn't specify exactly what I wanted. Only that I need more water in reserve," I meekly admit. "But I like it. The design is simple, and the suit is more comfortable than it looks."

Even as I say this, I feel like more attention could have been put into the proposal for my hero costume. I don't favor complex things, so I don't lie when I say that I like the concept of it. On the other hand, I really like the detail that Katsuki put into his own. It makes him appear intimidating and very flashy; something I imagine he wants. I think it makes him look tough.

"You look very handsome," I add timidly, curling a lock of my hair around my finger. I want to say, _like a hero,_ but honestly, the design is much like something a villain would wear, especially the giant grenade-like bracers on his arms.

Katsuki seems to ignore my compliment, and lifts his gloved fingers to my head. I feel deep pressure on the ornate band in my hair as he tinkers with the piece. I wonder if he knows how sweet this is to me?

"Cute, don't you think?"

"At least you're not a complete fucking idiot," he grunts. His fingers continue to gently stroke the band. "As dumb as it looks, it's not completely useless. The band is used to apply pressure to your head, so you don't get headaches as easily while using your quirk. Not a stupid idea at least."

I huff in annoyance. "Can't you agree that I look nice for once?"

"Do you think you look nice?"

"I do." Honestly, the nerve of him.

"Then you don't have to ask," the blond grunts.

I am at a loss for words. He does seemingly care, even though he's too embarrassed to admit it. I'm not an idiot; I notice the faint shade of red on his pale skin. I happily lean forward and kiss his cheek, much to his annoyance. The blond orders me to knock it off and pulls me to his side. I notice he does this so he can see All Might a little better – not like he couldn't before.

The bulky hero starts to explain the trial to us. Apparently, we're not going to fight robots again, but each other. The class is expected to separate into villain and hero groups for a two-on-two team battle. A nuclear weapon will be hidden on one of the many floors inside the chosen building where All Might plans to have the exorcise – he explains this all to us while reading a crib sheet. The hero team must stop the villains, by either catching them with a special type of capture tape or securing the nuclear bomb. If the villains manage to capture the heroes or keep the core, they will win. All of this, he explains, will be done in a specific time period.

"Your teammates and opponents will be chosen by lottery," he tells us, presenting a small rectangle box with a hole in the top. The word _Lots_ is ironically written on the front.

I hear Tenya and Izuku converse over the meaning of the exorcise. It makes sense, but I'm not sure how this will work considering I am an extra to the group. One by one, each of the students draw lots as I watch. Before the massive hero continues I raise by hand.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have no team. Should I sit out on this one?"

"No need, young Usui. You're free to join with a team of two. Heroes are sometimes forced to join with teams of two or more, and most villains target on the weak in small groups." All Might scans the crowd, enthusiastically shifting his head from side to side. "Here we go. You will join pair J and play the role of a villain. Nice suggestion."

I feel happy that All Might compliments me on such a small thing. The group I'm with includes the nice, red-haired teen from the practical exam, and a tall male wearing a helmet reminiscent of a motorcycle helmet and a tape dispenser. I smile and wave at the boy in red as he motions me over. Katsuki is too occupied with his pairing to notice me leave his side. I nearly feel sorry Tenya, who appears to be just as uncomfortable as the blond.

All Might adds to the tension by announcing the first teams to do combat; A and D. Izuku and Ochaco verses Katsuki and Tenya. I gasp in shock. This won't end well. All Might pulls the chosen hero and villain teams to the side, and instructs the rest of us to wait in the basement of the building he plans for us to use during the exorcise. I am in awe at the many monitors displayed in front of us. Each one shows the various angles of the same building, including the room the weapon is in. All Might joins with us soon after and the exam begins. My heart skips in my chest at the sudden irony. I know that Katsuki won't make this easy on poor Izuku.

Quietly, the class watches Izuku and Ochaco enter the building. The pair makes full turns around the maze-like hallways – Izuku's suggestion, I imagine. The teen is smart. Years of studying various heroes and strategies gives him an advantage over most. It will help him avoid Katsuki's more hands-on approach since I know the blond will just charge Izuku the first chance he gets. When he jumps the corner in front of the two and swings for Izuku I sigh in disappointment. He has talent, but his determination to prove a point to the timid boy will overshadow it in the end.

The blast manages to graze Izuku, tearing the fabric of his unique costume to the point that only half of his mask remains. Ochaco comes out unharmed, thanks to Izuku's quick thinking. I am relieved, but at the same time I know this means disaster for Izuku if Katsuki manages to catch him. The blast zone of his quirk is hard to dodge. I cross my arms over my chest and chew at the inside of my jaw. What now?

"That Bakugou's a character," the teen with the red hair says. "An ambush is so unmanly."

All Might adds in his opinion to the mix of varied responses. "Ambushes are good strategy. They are in the heat of battle after all."

"That may be so, but Katsuki isn't thinking strategy. He's bent on proving a point to Izuku," I add, more to myself than to the others.

The female with the spiky ponytail hears me, however. "Care to elaborate?"

The entire class seems to turn their attention to me, including All Might. My face warms at the sudden embarrassment. "Sorry, but it's not my place to tell. Katsuki and Izuku just have a rough past is all. They're old friends, but time made them bitter toward one another," I explain.

The female with the pink skin laughs. "First name basis, huh? You must know them outside of class. Am I right?"

"Something like that," I say. It's too soon to tell the class about myself on a personal level. I just don't feel comfortable sharing my life story with anyone new, not yet anyway. "The reason for the comment is because Katsuki thinks he has something to prove to Izuku. It makes the whole ambush seem wasted if Katsuki only used it just to hurt Izuku."

All Might hums in agreement. "Very nice observation. A hero who acts only on his own arrogance is fated to act recklessly in combat."

I regrettably can't disagree with his statement. However, I am thrilled to watch as Izuku fights back. He uses Katsuki's well-known punch against him and flips him roughly onto his back. This seems to be just the trick to keep Ochaco under the radar. Izuku makes himself the most important piece in game, ironically by angering the blond even more. I overlook the chatter in the room and focus on the fight. This can go either way from this point on.

I'm surprised, however, to see Izuku nearly wrap the capture tape around Katsuki's foot. I want to yell out for him to dodge, but I know he can't hear me. Thankfully the blond escapes. But so does Izuku. He runs from Katsuki, who quickly follows. In the meantime, Ochaco is seen on the monitor above, finding the bomb. I have to admit, she did well. She gives her position away, but that doesn't seem to matter considering Tenya is too wrapped up in his character to mind. His posture is nearly identical to that of a villain. I'm sad I can't hear him though – Ochaco seems to think he's funny. I smile as I watch them on the screen, however something catches my eye. Katsuki corners Izuku at a dead end.

Katsuki lifts his arm and points the giant bracer at him. I can't help but to wonder what he plans to do with it. Suddenly, All Might orders Katsuki to stop, but he doesn't. The blond pops back the switch and pulls the pin. The building shakes with the explosion and covers the screen in a blinding light. Some of the students yell out, but I stand speechless. My whole body is shaking in fear. Why would he do this? Does he want to kill Izuku?

"P-Please no," I whisper.

A large hand gently touches my shoulder. I glance up at All Might and notice that he is smiling still. Does he know that Izuku is okay? His hand moves, assuring me. I take the breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Bakugou, my boy, if you shoot another blast like that, I'll end this exorcise forcibly and you will lose," All Might tells the blond. "Launching an attack with such an extensive damage radius while indoors defeats the purpose of protecting your stronghold. It doesn't matter if you're a hero or a villain, that was just foolish. Once more and you'll earn yourself massive demerits."

Katsuki doesn't seem to like this, but he doesn't use the second bracer. Instead, he attacks Izuku head on again. The timid teen attempts a counter attack, but Katsuki uses his quirk to redirect his midair directory to his advantage, adjusting his power to thrust himself over Izuku, where he blasts him forward with the other hand. Izuku isn't able to protect himself from the right swing Katsuki favors so much as he's sent flying to the side. However, Katsuki grabs his arm and uses a blast from his quirk to spin both the teen and himself around. With the momentum, he slams Izuku roughly to the ground.

I hear some of students make comments about this tactic. It's a brilliant use of his quirk – Katsuki is amazing. The blond is a genius when it comes to battle sense. Regrettably, I'll never be an equal to him.

I watch as Izuku stands and rushes to the corner of the room. He appears to be running, but some of the students think it's a bit off. They shout to one another on the screen and throw a last resort punch; Katsuki's explosive power verses Izuku's mysterious resilience. All Might tries to suspend the match, but something stops him. Izuku tosses his fist into the air. On the top screen, a shockwave blows through the top floor and sends debris everywhere. Ochaco uses her zero gravity quirk to lift a giant beam and swing it effortlessly in front of her. It knocks against the pieces of broken concrete and sends them flying at Tenya. He dodges the attack, unable to stop Ochaco from retrieving the weapon. All Might quickly calls the match; the heroes win.

Katsuki actually loses.

* * *

The following battles begin at a new location. After Momo picks apart the strengths and weaknesses of the A and D pairs from the first exorcise, I decide on going into mine with a new outlook. I need to follow the example of Tenya and be the best villain I can be. Katsuki is the persona I chose to take on. His reckless nature cost him the win, I know, but I don't have a reason to let arrogance best me. My team is counting on me.

The teen with the red hair approaches me inside as we prep for our upcoming battle – our stronghold is on the third floor. He introduces himself as Kirishima Eijirou. I properly thank him for saving me during the practical exam, and introduce myself as well. Sero Hanta joins us, offering up his quirk to support us. He wraps the trial missile in a type of material that looks like cellophane tape while Eijirou and I guard it. Our plan is to stand off against the hero team and hope we're able to beat them.

The exorcise begins shortly after. The building is unexpectedly quiet, but I am ready for anything. I force an eerie smirk across my lips, and curl my fingers. Strokes of water surround me like wisps of clear smoke. Anyone who comes through that door will die.

* * *

The villain team unfortunately loses the exorcise; we lost rather quickly once Eijirou had been captured. But, I am okay with the end result. We score a passing grade for teamwork, and even receive compliments from All Might on our role as the bad guys. I tell myself that I'll do better next time, however.

The class ends with All Might telling us to return to room 1-A. I stay longer in the bathroom than necessary, cleaning the blood from my nose. The ornate band keeps me from having headaches, but once I take it off, the repercussion of extending my quirk seems to stay with me. It's horrible, but it's a price I am willing to pay in order to become a hero. Still, I wonder how my mother deals with this; it's draining me.

By the time I leave the bathroom, the afternoon class is over. I decide to go home, having no real reason to stay. I've not heard from Katsuki since the trail, but for all I know, he might still be upset with his loss to Izuku. He spoke none during the remaining battles, and seems to be upset that I use his persona to be a better villain – Momo mentions the comparisons. I see the shock in his eyes when All Might congratulates me.

I sigh in annoyance and take out my phone. I plan to address this with him, but once I pass by a window that overlooks the entrance yard, I quickly notice the blond walking towards the front gate. Maybe I can catch up to him. However, before I make up my mind, I notice Izuku walk up behind him. They seem to speak to one another with composure. I fear the worse if this talk heads south; Izuku is not good at keeping the blond from going off. I want to join them, but maybe Katsuki needs this. Izuku and he need to work on their repairing their friendship. I decide to leave them be.

Their talk doesn't last much longer. Katsuki shouts something at the green-eyed teen and leaves, only to be stopped by All Might. I don't waste time, and rush down to the entrance. But, once I step into the warm sun, I realize I am too late. Katsuki is gone. Izuku and All Might stop talking once I clear my throat.

"Excuse me," I say timidly.

They step aside and allow me to pass. Out of the blue, however, Izuku grabs my upper arm. He's gentle about it, and apologizes once I spare him a glance.

"Your battle went well, I heard. Congratulations."

Tears burn at my eyes. I ignore them, and force a smile. His hand releases my arm, so I use this opportunity to move away from the teen. I turn my back to him and leave. My heart feels heavy at this. I realize that it's going to be hard to ignore Izuku, but I need to. Taking out my phone again, I text a quick message to Katsuki, telling him to be careful on his way home. He may not reply, but I know he will read it. Tomorrow is a new day, so maybe things will somehow work out.

* * *

 **AN:** This chapter was hard for me to write. I wanted so much more to be included in it, but I can't say I'm disappointed with how it turned out. Something to remember as the reader finishes this chapter, and the many more to come: Airi is trying to make up lies about Izuku in her head to overcome the pain of losing him as a friend. To anyone who has lost a friend before, because they felt like the friend lied to them, knows how this feels. It hurts, and sometimes you as a person try to make up reasons as to why it happened. This is what Airi is doing.

Airi and Katsuki will have more dialogue now. Before it was a little different, but the closer they get, the more they seem to say to one another. The same drama, name-calling, and such will remain, but Airi will become more affectionate. I like to write her as being a hands-on type of person. She's not clingy, but she enjoys holding hands with Katsuki.

Please enjoy the chapters to come. Enjoy!


	8. The Calm Before the Storm

Chapter Eight | The Calm Before the Storm

I hear it again; a faint noise that vibrates long into the night. I easily ignore it, choosing to enjoy the warmth that comes from my duvet for a little while longer. However, the noise proceeds to annoy me awake. I hesitantly pull myself from my bed, searching for the source of the constant pulses. The noise is coming from beneath my pillow, where I find my cell phone.

It rings again with a text message, shuddering on top of the mattress. The lock screen tells me that it's 5:17 in the morning. The sun isn't up, but I have to wonder who is. I settle down, leaning my head against my pillow and flip through my phone. 3 messages alert me that a group chat is open; the most recent message is a voice call from Katsuki. I read the previous ones first, and notice they had been sent within the hour. Each one orders me to open the window to my room, but I'm not sure why. I decide to message him back, not sure if he's up or not.

Within minutes an alert lets me know that I have a new message. I answer it – the text reads the same as the others. I narrow my eyes at the vagueness of them. He's not outside the house, is he? I laugh at this, and lift myself from the bed. My only window is obstructed by a small writing desk and computer, but I can squeeze between it and the window if I need to. I pull back the plain, white curtains and peek out into the darkness. At first, I see nothing. The street lights are on, but nobody is outside this morning. I nearly return to my bed, when I see a small light wave through the air. I see the outline of a person in the dark and realize that Katsuki is telling the truth. He's outside my house, below my window on the second floor.

What is he doing here? I'm confused, but I send a quick message, asking him just how long he's been down there. He replies back in seconds, ignoring my question with one of his own. I hum in uncertainty. He asks to come up. This is new. It must be something important if he's here this early. I wonder if it can wait until school, but I agree nonetheless.

Once Katsuki makes it up, using the escape ladder my father mounted in case of a fire, I slid back the desk and open up the window.

"If my father catches you here, he'll lose his mind." I watch him crawl into the room, locking the window behind himself. He's never done this before, so I'm scared of getting caught.

I notice that the blond is wearing his workout clothes. He's sweaty, so I assume he had been out running the block. My house is less than a mile from his, but that doesn't explain why he's inside my room this early.

Katsuki sits on the edge of my desk, and narrows his eyes at me. "I won't be here long, so I doubt your old man will even know I'm here."

I won't lie, I am a little worried now. His tone of voice is much softer than normal, but I assume it's because he's trying not to wake my parents. My father is not a light sleeper, but I don't want to take the chance. I sit down on my bed, nonchalantly amusing myself with the hem of my night shirt as I wait for him to enlighten me. I get nervous when he doesn't speak. The lack of clothing I am wearing unexpectedly becomes an issue for me. I feel like Katsuki is seeing me in a vulnerable, uncomfortable state. I curl my legs beneath me, and slip my duvet over my lap.

My face becomes warm as I notice his eyes on me. "Why are you here so early? We have class in a few hours. Should you not be in bed?"

The blond ignores my questions and moves across the room to my position. He bring up his phone, dangling it in front of my face, and lets me read what's on the screen. The texts are from Izuku – I recognize the number, even though the display name is missing. He asks that Katsuki show me the messages. Each one explains that Izuku is not lying to me, and that he'll clarify to me the reason for his secrets once he can. I am honestly annoyed by this. I don't understand any of it.

"This is stupid," I snort, curling my arms beneath my chest. "He has my number too. He can just as easily text me if needs to. I don't understand any of this gibberish." What is to explain? Izuku is not quirkless, I get this.

"Not my problem," Katsuki replies.

He shoves his phone into his pocket, and slumps down beside me. A wave of nitroglycerin pours off his skin, making me curl my nose in disgust. The blond certainly has no manners. He leans back on my clean sheets, mixing his scent into the fabric. I chew at my lip in annoyance.

"That's enough. Off my bed with your dirty self," I snap while pushing at his legs with my own.

Katsuki pulls me down, wrapping his arm around my waist in order to keep me in place. He's slick with sweat, but doesn't seem to mind using me as a substitute dry cloth. I'm not sure how to explain this to my father, when he collects my laundry. The scent of a male on my sheets and night shirt might be hard to cover up until they're washed, but if I do them first, I should be okay. In the meantime, I just have to deal with the smell of sweat on me.

"A hour, and then you leave. I need some sleep before I have to get up," I order, snuggling up to the blond – despite the sour scent coming off him.

Katsuki closes his eyes, but I know he won't fall asleep. I plan to, however. School comes early.

* * *

The morning class is lively today. Aizawa goes over our evaluations from the previous lesson, but no one really undergoes his strict scrutiny besides Katsuki and Izuku. I feel bad for them, but I know the criticism will help them focus and do better on their upcoming trials. Class goes back to normal after this.

"Now let's get on with the homeroom notices," Aizawa says, bringing his attention from the evaluation papers to the class. "I'm sorry to have to spring this on you all, but we need to pick a class president."

The class goes into hysterics once again – I take back my previous statement. Everyone seems excited to volunteer for the position. It would be stupid not to. If it's anything like a general education curriculum, then it will entail everyday duties, which I'm not certain I care to volunteer for. However, this is the Department of Heroics, so it's probably a position that will help build up one's hero foundation all the faster. I give it a second thought, but decide to raise my hand anyway.

Suddenly, however, Tenya interrupts the class. "Leading the many is a task of heavy responsibility," he explains. "But ambition does not equate to ability."

He's right about that. Take me for instance. I want to be the class president because of the leadership skill. If I have it, pro heroes will consider me first. But, that doesn't mean I can do it. I lack people skills, and I'm not very good at planning ahead. I have ambition, but like Tenya had said, ambition is not the only quality one needs while taking on such a role.

Tenya proposes that the class take a vote. Some of his peers think the idea will sink, forcing the class to vote for themselves because trust had yet to be established, but Tenya explains that it's precisely the reason why he suggests it. I see now; the person who manages to earn multiple votes will be the best suited for the position. The class is expected to vote for the person with better leadership skills, shown by how well they present themselves to the class. This way, the right person will get the job.

Aizawa allows it, and for the next hour, the class votes and counts the tallies. I decide to elect Momo. She had been the only student who correctly evaluated the battle trials. Her words even seemed to impact Katsuki, as he despondently agreed that his talent had been wasted on his battle with Izuku. A class president like her would ensure this never happens again. But, in the end, Izuku gets the position with three votes, while Momo scores two. She becomes the vice president, but I can tell she's let down by it. I'm actually shocked to see this. I wonder who voted for Izuku?

Our first class meeting is scheduled to begin after lunch. Until then, Aizawa allows us to work on other class materials. I spend the time reading, happily awaiting my favorite time of the day.

* * *

There is almost no room to sit down. The cafeteria is congested today. I trail slowly behind Katsuki as he leads me to an open table. We sit with 3 other students, arm to arm with a few quickly doubling up on space. Nearly all of them are unfamiliar to me; a classmate or two sits close by, but I don't show that I know them. I attempt to ignore the endless, mumbled chatter and eat my lunch, despite feeling nervous around so many people.

"Usui, hey." Eijirou calls out my name. He emerges from a mass of students, balancing his lunch tray as he waves at me. "I'm glad I found you," he says. "There are no seats left, at least not with people from the same class. Mind if I sit with you?"

Katsuki answers him before me. "She does, so piss off."

Eijirou seems calm, despite being snapped at. He waits patiently with a bright smile on his face. But, I feel the opposite. Katsuki is being rude. I pinch the bridge of my nose and shove my elbow into his side.

"I don't mind, Kirishima. Consider it payment for saving me during the practical exam," I offer.

He accepts and takes the only free seat in front of the blond. As he settles in, Katsuki and I glance towards one another, both wearing a deep scowl. I want to know what he's thinking, but his eyes are unreadable. He seems to be annoyed with the fact that Eijirou is eating with us, but honestly I don't see the problem with this. People feel comfortable with others they are familiar with. We may not know Eijirou very well, but we'll have to see him up until graduation. I sigh in annoyance and force a smile onto my face, turning my attention to the teenager who joined us. He stares at us with wide, curious eyes.

"I can go and find another seat if Bakugou doesn't want me here." He flicks his eyes between us, waiting for what I assume to be an answer from one of us.

"It's fine, really. You can sit with us," I assure him. "That's if you don't mind Katsuki's rude behavior. He can be pretty intimidating at times, but I promise he's not so bad."

I ignore the intense heat that pours from the blond next to me. Neither of us are very good at making friends, but I am at least polite. Don't get me wrong, I get nervous around new people, but I try. My fingers curl around Katsuki's wrist. He allows me to, but the heat from his quirk remains, soothing me in ways only he can. I sigh in relief.

Eijirou's laugh brings me out of my daze. "The way the two of you act around one another, makes it seem like you're a couple."

My face heats up. I never accurately specified my relationship with Katsuki, other than revealing that we have been friends since pre-school. I don't feel like I should, considering the fact he and I never made it official. Our relationship is implied. I have no idea if he will mind, but I figure he might not. He seems to never do.

"Actually, we are. Since middle school." My voice sounds unsure if this is right, but Katsuki doesn't attempt to correct me, so I feel a little more confident.

Eijirou smiles gently at me. "I had a feeling that was the case. The two of you seem close, and the way Bakugou was growling at me earlier gave me the impression he was trying to be protective of you. He's like a guard dog."

"Like hell, you damned broom-head. I'm not being protective of her. I just don't care for nosy fucking people," Katsuki snaps.

"Chill man. I was only joking," Eijirou says in defense.

Katsuki ignores him and returns to his lunch in silence. I notice his ears look flush. A gentle laugh comes from me, but it's cut short when Eijirou brings up a topic surrounding the Symbol of Peace.

"The press corps are really persistent, don't you think? They stopped me outside the gate, asking me to make a comment on All Might; something about what it's like being tutored by him. Did you guys have trouble with them as well?"

I shake my head. "Not much. I was with Katsuki, so I think his angry face may have scared them off."

The blond grabs my hand as a warning, but I ignore it. I assume he does this because he is still embarrassed by the sludge-man incident, and honestly, the press had been interested in it upon recognizing Katsuki. He may have thought I was going to tell Eijirou, but I am more concerned with the topic on hand. Come to think about it, I've not seen All Might since the news this morning. The Foundational Hero Studies class had been canceled for the evening. I imagine it's because he took the day off to protect the city.

I open my mouth to confirm this with Eijirou, hoping he would know, but I can, a loud siren interrupts me. I quickly cover my ears in annoyance, hating the sound. Over the panic of the lunch room, I can hear an automatized voice order the students to evacuate. How serious is this? I do so without hesitation, following behind Katsuki and Eijirou as they leave.

The entire student body – business, support, and hero – rushes for the exit. In a narrow hallway I am separated from Katsuki. His shirt slips from my fingers as a scared student moves between us, knocking me off my feet. I am unable to catch myself, before I hit the floor with a smack. A terrible pain shoots up from my knee, but I have worse matters to attend to.

I fear being trampled over. So many people rush around me, some striking my body. It makes trying to stand so much harder. I cry out for Katsuki to help me, but I know he can't hear me. I wonder if he even knows I'm gone? I reach my hand up to grasp onto something, and thankfully, someone grabs back. I am lifted from the floor with some unease, but once back on my feet, I am crushed between my savior and the wall.

"I got you," he says. It's clear he is a male, despite his voice being so low. His short, slick blond hair tickles at my face as he holds me close.

My face heats up. I barely know this guy, and though I am thankful for him saving me, I feel like he should let go. My arms are limp, resting by my side, but my chest is so close to his. We are stuck, it seems. He's protecting me, but it feels wrong.

A familiar voice bellows out over the crowd. I pull my head away from his shoulder, and look up, noticing Tenya above the exit sign. How did he get there? He orders everyone to behave, mentioning that the press have breached the school. How did this happen? I push myself away from the blond, straightening out my uniform in the process. This experience has been unsettling.

"T-Thanks for helping me," I say.

He smirks at me. "Monoma Neito at your service."

I don't trust him, but to be polite, I give him my name. A hand suddenly takes mine. I jump in shock and turn around to face Eijirou. My heart pounds. He mentions that Katsuki and he got separated, but the blond is more than likely waiting for me in class. I send a look to Neito, expressing my gratitude, then follow Eijirou to the classroom. I am more than happy to be away from the blond. He makes me feel weird; a floating sensation I don't know if I like.

* * *

As the evening progresses, the police arrive and drive the reporters away. Eijirou and I return to class, and thankfully, he doesn't mention Neito to Katsuki. I fear he will overreact over nothing, so I decide not to tell him just yet. I take my seat without speaking to him.

The lesson begins shortly; electing the remaining council members. Izuku starts by offering up his position to Tenya, explaining that he deserves it more than himself. I agree; Tenya unified the students. Eijirou, Denki, and the others seem to think the same. The decision is made, so Tenya becomes the new class president and the voting for council begins.

My cell phone vibrates after we vote Ashido Mina into the Activities Social Chair position. I slip it out of my pocket, careful not to let Aizawa catch me, and glance at the message. It's from Katsuki. He tells me that he's going to nominate me for the Secretary position – no explanation at all. I doubt he will allow me to decline, so I reply back with a simple answer.

Katsuki doesn't message me back after this, so I ask him if he'd like to get ice cream after school. He agrees, but his message is bland. I realize he's not a fan of cold treats, but at least he's going with me. A bright smile pulls at the corner of my lips. Where would I be without him?

This day comes to an end; the calm before the storm. How could I have known that this wouldn't last?

* * *

AN: So this chapter turned out shorter than the others, and I even debated leaving it out, but I think it touched on a few things; character development and introduction of Canon Cast. I enjoyed writing it, despite the length of it.

A writer posted a review to the last chapter, mentioning how Katsuki was a growling guard dog, so I wrote it into the story, because it made me smile. I appreciate the comments, likes, and such. Thanks to all my readers. I do realize I don't update very often, but I work on numerous stories at one time. Invincible is 1 of 4 I am bouncing between, so I also appreciate the patience.

Thanks again,

Nightingale


	9. The Future On Hold

Chapter Nine | Future On Hold

This is what I have been waiting for. Rescue training; a chance to prove that my quirk is more than enough if I go pro. I am thrilled by this. It's Wednesday when Aizawa mentions this to the class, holding up a card with the word 'rescue' on it. My fingers curl around the corners of my desk, almost cutting off the circulation. But, I am too pepped up to care. It's true I lack in skill when it comes to fighting, but I'm not half bad at controlling my quirk – the 10 months I had trained prior to the entrance exam helped me out a little. I just want a chance to prove my worth. Here lately I feel like I'm not cut out to become pro. That will change today.

Class is dismissed for now, and Aizawa gives us the option to change into our costumes for the trial. He informs us that a bus will take us to the training site. I debate on whether to dress up, and decide to do so. I have no clue what the place we're going will be like, and if I make the wrong call, I may be unprepared for the outcome. Taking my case from the wall, I follow a few of the girls from my class into the locker room to get dressed.

To be honest, I forgot how tedious it is to get into my costume. The accessories are too much, but I have no doubt that they help. As I try to zip up the back of my suit, I feel someone tap on my shoulder. I look over my shoulder and notice the round-faced brunette close to me. Shock pours through me as she asks my permission to help. No doubt a red flag goes off in my head. Ochaco and I never talk. I try to keep clear of Tenya and her whenever they are around, so I feel nervous whenever she asks this. What could be the reason she wants to approach me? I don't question my uncertainty to her, but I agree with a nod, pulling my hair into a messy bun while she zips me up.

"Need help with anything else? I don't mind. I noticed you have a lot of stuff to put on, so I thought it would be nice to ask." She seems sweet.

I can't help but to smile, fixing my head piece in the mirror. "Not really, but I appreciate it. Thank you, Uraraka."

"No problem," she replies happily.

I understand why Izuku and she are friends. Ochaco is a nice person. She seems to care about the people around her. I misjudged her, but I do feel a little more jealous of her friendship with Izuku. She is far better suited to be his friend, then I am.

I notice the corner of my lips fall into a frown. The mirror shows me how selfish I am, but I know Izuku and Katsuki cannot fit into my world, not at the same time. Not if they don't want to. I fix the mirror until I am able to see Ochaco. She looks at me with a sad expression, like she knows my pain.

"Can I ask you something, Uraraka?"

She nods. "Anything."

"Is Izuku happy?"

"Deku seems happy, but there is more to him that even I don't know," she answers. Her words seem true. Ochaco plays with the belt of her costume; a visible redness on her cheeks. "The truth is, I wanted to come speak with you because Deku always talks about how nice you are to him. I understand to some degree the level of friendship you both had, but he still talks about you as if the bond never ended."

"It has," I say feeling sad. This bridge is gone; burned away. But, another can take it's place. "Once he's ready to talk, I'll listen. He and I can try again – build another bridge; one stronger than the last. Until then, please keep him happy. I can tell he likes you, Iida too."

The girl smiles. She nods and leaves me in the locker room to think. Will I really ever be ready to speak with Izuku again? I hope by this time, he feels brave enough to tell me the truth. Until then, I need to prepare myself. I leave the room feeling a little better about the situation. The walk to the front gate is lonely, but once I am there, I find Katsuki and stand by his side. My thoughts are so broken, that I don't even notice Katsuki calling my name until his fingers hook into my cheek, yanking it painfully out. I cry out, swatting at his hand until he lets go.

"The hell is up with that dumb look?"

I narrow my eyes at him, rubbing at my sore cheek. "It's nothing. Besides, you could have just asked me without the attitude."

"Not my style," he grunts.

I mock him under my breath, opting to pull at his mouth. Instead I ignore him, and wait for the bus doors to open. Tenya tries to get everyone to board the bus and sit according to their student ID, but Katsuki makes it clear he doesn't care by pulling me along once the doors open. We sit in the first roll, on the right side. The bus is set up differently than most, having 2 rolls of seats, parallel to one another at the front of the bus. Once everyone is seated, the bus begins to move. I sit back and try to enjoy the ride.

I occupy my time by practicing with my quirk, making simple shapes with the water. First, I make a sphere. It's easier to make, and the most used form I can manipulate the liquid into. Next, I make a triangle; three sides and easy enough. After that, a square. My ability to do so makes me happy. I believe I am doing well. A tap on my should nearly pulls me out of my concentration, however. Ochaco and Momo are watching me, the brunette being the one to get my attention. I nearly stop, but Ochaco urges me to continue. She asks me to make a heart.

That's sort of tricky, but I can do it. I gesture with my fingers, starting at the top before connecting the ends at the bottom. Ochaco claps and Momo seems impressed. I move the water back into the bottle and turn my attention back to them.

"You have an impressive quirk," Momo mentions. "It's the manipulation of water, but the liquid seems to be controlled by your thoughts. I didn't notice it before, but seeing your quirk close up, I can see the concentration you are using."

I agree with a nod. "I call it Shape of Water, but it's more or less Hydro-Telekinesis. I'm able to do much more, like solidify it and encapsulate objects within the liquid, but controlling it is hard."

"That's so cool, Usui-chan. Your quirk sounds like it's super strong," Ochaco says with excitement.

I feel my face heat up. I'm not use to people complimenting me, but I thank her regardless. It's nice to know that my quirk is thought of as such – super strong. Do the others think of me like this too?

Asui Tsuyu pulls me from my thoughts. Her opinion to Izuku catches me off guard. She mentions that his quirk resembles All Might's own. I never thought of it like that. It's a strength type quirk, but not exactly like the one All Might has. Eijirou backs this claim, stating that Izuku hurts himself. There is a similarity between the two, but there's no proof that All Might even has a strength enhancing quirk. The public seems to assume so, but he's never actually confirmed it. I admit, I'd like to know as well, but I assume the hero just isn't ready to announce it to the public yet. The class seems to be onboard now, but they switch topics, talking about the type of quirk it takes to become pro.

I am, however thrilled to witness Eijirou's quirk again. He activates it as he talks to Izuku, hardening the skin on his arm to a point. It's no wonder he didn't have a scratch on him after the battle trial. I have to agree with Izuku, his quirk is plenty enough.

"You wanna talk strong and cool? That'd be Todoroki and Bakugou."

Eijirou's opinion catches the attention of the blond. His foot stops tapping as he glances at the red head. So very like him to hear his own praise. I smile and gently poke his cheek with my fingertip. He huffs and ignores me completely, acting as if he never heard the statement in the first place. That changes once Tsuyu says what's on her mind.

"But Bakugou's so unhinged. He'd never be popular."

He's so easy to anger. Katsuki jumps to his feet, shouting at her. He easily proves her point. I grab his arm, urging him to sit back down. He doesn't listen, but he also doesn't mind nearly shoving my body out of the seat just to throw a tantrum.

Denki jumps in too. "We've only barely started socializing and already you've made it abundantly clear to us the unpleasantness of your steamed turd of a personality."

At this, I can't help but to laugh. Katsuki is smart, most of the class doesn't know this, but when he is tempted, his anger blinds him from seeing the whole picture. Denki is obviously trying to upset him now. But, Katsuki doesn't seem to care. He glares at me; wisps of smoke float up from his curled fingers.

"You want some too, fuck munch?"

I shake my head, blinking the joyous tears from my eyes. "Try to relax, Katsuki. They're only trying to get a laugh out of you. It's to prove a point."

The blond drops into his seat, growling beneath his breath. I rub his arm, but it doesn't seem like he'll calm down anytime soon. His body shakes in anger, but at least he is quiet.

"You got me, Blue. Leave it to the cutie to figure me out," Denki says with a wink.

His flirting is getting more blatant. I feel my face heat up. The compliments and proximity off all the guys in Yuuei lately is more than I can deal with. The blond stiffens; I can feel it. His eyes are bright and wild, staring at me through the reflection of the window as I move closer to him.

Eijirou, thankfully comes to my rescue. He leans his foot forward and kicks Denki in the shin, earning a scowl from the blond-haired teen. "That's not very manly of you to flirt with someone who's taken. She's Bakugou's girlfriend."

The entire bus falls into hysteric chattering, which seems to be a daily thing with them – I should give up with thinking that this class is normal. Questions are thrown at me left and right. Honestly, I feel overwhelmed. I don't know what to say.

"Shut the hell up," Katsuki snaps. "You damned extras are giving me a headache. Fucking nosy people."

The class does as he asks. I feel relieved. My cheek rests his shoulder. I thank him quietly, certain that Ochaco chuckles at this. Aizawa finally speaks up and lets us know that we are at the training site. I glance out the window and see a large dome-shaped building with the words USJ in gold letters above the door. The bus comes to a stop, and the class follows Aizawa through a large blue gate into the facility. It's massive inside. A central plaza connects each of the simulation rooms as well as the main entrance, which we're standing near. It's like a spin on Universal Studios Japan without rides.

A well-mannered voice brings my attention to a space themed hero, standing near Aizawa. "There's the flood zone. Landslide zone. Conflagration zone … etc. Every disaster and accident you can imagine," they explain. "I built this facility myself. I call it the Unforeseen Simulation Joint."

I know of them; the space hero, Thirteen. I grab Katsuki's shoulder in excitement, but he swats me in the head. He orders me to calm down, but I don't care.

"Before we begin, I have one or two points. Or three; four." Thirteen raises their fingers as they explain. "As I'm sure many of you are aware, my quirk is called Black Hole. It can suck in and tear apart anything."

"And you've used it to save people in all sorts of disasters," Izuku states. The brunette next to him nods, almost like she might float away in excitement.

Thirteen agrees. "Indeed. However, my power could easily kill. I've no doubt there are some among you with similar abilities. In our superpowered society, the use of quirks is heavily restricted and monitored. It may seem that this system is a stable one, but we must never forget that it only takes one wrong move with an uncontrollable quirk for people to die. During Aizawa's physical fitness test, you came to learn of your own hidden potential. Through All Might's battle training, you experienced the danger that your respective quirks can pose to others. This class, will show you a new perspective. You will learn how o utilize your quirks to save lives. Your powers are not meant to inflict harm. I hope you leave here today with the understanding that you're meant to help people." They stop and bow. "That is all. I thank you for listening."

My fingers dig into Katsuki's arm. Honestly, I don't know how I feel after this. I never looked at my own quirk as being dangerous to others. I realize I can harm someone, maybe even cause them to drown, but the only person I've hurt with my quirk is myself. I hope to stop this; closure for my mother and for myself. I feel Katsuki clutch my hand. It assures me, bringing a smile to my face.

Aizawa begins to prep us, but something stops him. I feel it; a light breeze pulling at my hair. I shiver, feeling sick to my stomach all of a sudden. Aizawa shouts for the class to huddle together and not move. I am confused at first, but suddenly I see them; people gathering in front of the fountain in the central plaza. They exit out of a black vortex, dozens at a time. My heart sinks in my chest. Villains. Here of all places. Am I ready for this?

To be continued …

* * *

AN: I may have said I'd never do this again; put a continue on the chapter, but I did. The reason being is because the next chapter would have been short. I put Airi in a situation in which would allow her to show off a little, so I thought it would be best to continue in the next chapter. Enjoy.


	10. Unbreakable

Chapter Ten | Unbreakable

Am I ready for this? I ask this question to myself over and over. The answer is no. I am not prepared to fight, not with so little experience. Only pro heroes are permitted to fight villains; novice heroes like myself will only complicate matters. Even now, my stomach rolls like a tide. I take a step back, determined to flee, but a strong grip has my wrist.

My eyes snap over to Katsuki. He seems unafraid, almost as if he's ready to fight. I can't understand his motivation. How does he control his fear? I want to turn and run. This is almost ironic to me, seeing him bury it. Not so long ago, he had been nearly killed by a villain. Yet now, he isn't afraid. No, maybe he is. Maybe he sees them differently. I remember feeling afraid during the sludge man incident, but the thought of losing Katsuki made me act. I let go of my fear, and fought to save him. He'd do the same for me, wouldn't he? I believe so, and with this resolve, I imagine his life depends on my ability to act. I clutch my hands tightly into fists, and stand my ground.

Imagine life without him. I can do this. I realize Katsuki's motivation probably comes from his determination to win. Just because there are many of them, doesn't mean we can't win. Aizawa seems to believe this as well, slipping a pair of yellow goggles over his eyes. He orders Thirteen to begin evacuating us, claiming that a villain is using their quirk to jam the sensors to the building. He's ready to fight, despite Izuku's observation of him. Eraser Head is truly a professional.

I watch in awe as Aizawa leaps from the stairs into the central plaza. He cancels out the quirks of two ranged villains, and uses his scarf to capture them, striking the two against one another and successfully knocking them out. He's amazing, and I wish to see more, but Thirteen motions for us to follow them. I move in front of Katsuki, heading toward the entrance doors. But, a villain made entirely out of mist appears in front of us, blocking our escape.

"Greetings," he says politely. "We are the League of Villains. Forgive our audacity, but today, we've come here to U.A. High School – this bastion of heroism to end the life of All Might, the Symbol of Peace."

Anger pulses through me. No way can they beat All Might. What kind of villains would be dumb enough to believe this? They don't seem to be very smart, breaking into a school of heroes. All Might isn't even here. Obviously they didn't watch the news this morning.

The mist man wavers, stating to himself that his role remains unchanged. I realize he means to kill us. I gasp and step back, but a hand grabs my shoulder. Katsuki bolts forward, nearly knocking me off my feet – Eijirou stands with him. They attack the villain with both their quirks, but the mist man reappears unscathed. His body quickly eclipses Katsuki and Eijirou, then circles the group. It completely surrounds me; darkness is all I can see. I shout out for the blond, but my breath catches in my throat. My body feels like it's being squeezed through a small tube, but it's over within minutes.

The air around me becomes cloudy and bitter. I can feel the rain as it beats down onto my slender body. An urban environment appears below me. Tall buildings reach up to a domed ceiling as strong, cutting winds spiral out of control. I realize I am falling from the sky, and quickly. I need to stop myself somehow. A million thoughts pour into my head at once, but I focus on the few I know might save me; the first is to use my quirk at the opportune time to send a condensed blast at the ground. It should slow down my speed, but the landing will still be rough. I have a second thought; to surround myself with water, like a bubble. However, I fear at this speed the water will only weigh me down. I'll smack the street like a ton of bricks.

I decide on the first idea. I need to build up the water, however. It's fortunate that I am in the downpour zone. The element is all around me. I push my hands close together, manipulating the water into a sphere while making it more compact. I focus on making the sphere tighter; the water spins like a miniature whirlpool inside the space. The ground becomes closer and closer, until I am nearly there. When I am in range, 2 meters exactly, I launch the orb.

It hits the pavement at full force, breaking the asphalt as it does. The shockwave of the blast sends me flipping over the strike zone and onto the concrete. My breath leaves me. I gasp for air, lying on my back as the wind and heavy water hits me in the face. It sort of stings, but at least I'm not dead. I try to arrange my thoughts as I catch my breath.

I am in another zone, obviously. That means the others are alive as well. The mist man must have separated us for some reason – I imagine to keep us from escaping. But why? Do they only want to kill All Might? The rest of us must be bait.

As I lie there, a sudden noise catches my attention. I turn my eyes toward it, just in time to see a cluster of shadows emerge from the alley between two enormous buildings. I pull myself up and onto my feet as they surround me.

"Looks like we found one," a being with Venus flytrap-like extensions says. A shell envelops it's head and upper body. So they're all villains.

I realize they must have been waiting for someone to drop down. I am unfortunate to be that someone, but no matter, I know what I have to do. I activate my quirk; the water stops falling around me in a 2 meter circle. This is all I need. I don't know how long it will take me to win, but I defiantly won't lose to them.

"Come on then," I urge them. "I don't have all day."

They attack me without question. The few using range go first. Their quirks reach me, but I easily dodge them and use the compact bullets to shoot them down. Walls keep me from being hit as I fend off attacks, but the few who have quirks that provide them with extra strength easily destroy them. I need distance to win, so I put as much between us as I can. However, a female with large ape-like arms slams the ground beside me, knocking me back. I roll away from her, and stand. I use my long range attacks to keep her back as I build the water in a sphere with my right hand. It won't be too strong, but it should be enough to hurt her.

As she goes to slam the ground again. I jump back and aim for her arms. The sphere collides with her, knocking her back. It works as expected, but I am starting to feel light headed. I release my quirk, hoping to give myself a chance to catch my breath. The villains swarm me one by one, but I dodge their attacks the best I can. I need a second to regroup. A mock store catches my attention. I run for it, and once I am inside, I slam the door shut and lock it.

My body feels exhausted. The suit at least helps keep me warm and dry, but my head twinges like hell. I am afraid to touch my face. I know my nose is bleeding, but I don't want to know how much. I just need to try and relax. I don't have much longer to try, considering the villains are pounding at the door behind me. However, to my surprise, the banging stops. I lean my head against the door, hearing my name being called. It sounds like Fumikage, and when I open the door, I see Koji and he have taken out the remaining villains.

"Are you hurt?"

I imagine he means the blood. I wipe the remaining bit onto the sleeve of my costume, shaking my head in disagreement to his question. "I'm fine, but it could have been worse. Thank you both. There were too many of them for me to handle."

"You did well, Usui. No matter though. We're here to help," Fumikage tells me.

I give him a gentle smile, and do the same for Koji. The shy male seems to be cold. I assume the powerful wind and rain is too much for him. I move into range and activate my quirk, shielding us. "It's not much, but I hope it helps." A twinge of pain shoots up into my head.

"Not a bad quirk to have in a place like this," Fumikage mentions. "I believe I heard you tell Yaoyorozu it's called Hydro-Telekinesis, am I right? The villain who separated us must not have known. If he had, I doubt he would have sent you here."

"It's true that I have an advantage, but I also have a time limit. My head begins to ache and my nose begins to bleed if I expend it," I tell him. We're a team as of now, so I don't mind telling them about my quirk. I left out the actual time frame just in case.

Koji grabs my attention by shaking his hands. He gives me a thumbs up, so I take it as his sign to tell me that he is okay. He must be taking into consideration my limits. I stop using my quirk, and allow the water to fall around us. Weights feel like they lift from my shoulders, but the dizziness makes it hard for me to concentrate.

"Any idea how far the plaza is to here?"

Fumikage shakes his head. "No idea, but I can probably use my quirk to get onto higher ground and check. The exit can't be far. We can regroup with the others, if they're still there."

I hope so. Honestly I doubt that I can make it. I feel terrible, but I know that the others may need us. Koji and I agree with this plan. I take a step forward, but something cracks against the concrete, filling the area with smoke. On instinct, I activate my quirk. It does no good to prevent the smoke from entering my lungs, so I begin to cough. I feel something take ahold of me, pulling my body from the haze.

Koji helps me stand. Fumikage is beside us; his quirk activated. A shadow-like beast is attached to his chest. I stare in awe, but the moment is short lived. Another crack tears at the pavement, but this time something emerges from it. A being with a warped and inhuman appearance wiggles up in front of us. I squeak in fear, but Fumikage uses his shadow beast to shove the being away before it can attack us. It uses it's pointed head to dig back into the pavement, once again disappearing from sight.

"Be on guard. His quirk is a strange one," Fumikage orders.

We stand close to one another. So far, the villains nearby are hiding. They obviously don't posses a quirk strong enough to take us on, but the being that can dig through the ground can, I assume. I wonder if the smoke from earlier is a distraction? Maybe we can figure out when it will attack.

"Is your shadow beast fast enough to catch it?"

"More than enough," Fumikage answers. "The smoke will tell us when he will attack, I assume. Before I couldn't hear him digging because of the rain, but I can now."

I don't understand what he means. Koji taps my shoulder, pointing up. The field in which my quirk can be used is activated. There is no noise, so we should be able to hear.

"Keep it going, Usui. I'll listen for him."

I do as Fumikage asks, despite the pain. My body feels faint. But, at last, we hear him. A crack hits the pavement between us, and the villain using the long range pods fires another into our area. The three of us jump forward. I spin around just in time to see the shadow beast capture the being.

"Got it," Fumikage announces.

It squirms like a worm in the beast's grip, but it doesn't escape. Fumikage can no longer help us, but I know Koji and I are enough to take on the others. Several villains pile out onto the street. There are few of them. I am thankful, because my quirk may not hold out. The water fluxes around me, spiraling like ribbons. I will put my all into this fight. This is my plus ultra.

* * *

The pros arrive in time to help us, but the villains are beat. Koji ties up the worm being, and hands it over to the authorities. I am happy. I hope to never see it again. We learn from it the true intention of the League of Villains. They had plans to kill All Might, but apparently not with numbers. The villains that we beat up had been nothing more than a distraction for us – the entire class of 1-A. The real threat had took on All Might, but as expected, the Symbol of Peace beat it. I had been told by Ochaco that Katsuki had seen it all. I doubt he'd tell me if I were to ask.

For the meantime, I am sitting in the back of a type 2 ambulance van, wearing an emergency blanket to keep warm. The staff puts cotton plugs up my nose to stop the bleeding, but they tell me I am fine. My body feels stiff, and I am a little embarrassed, but Koji and Fumikage give me a thumbs up to assure me that everything is okay. I am thankful to have them around. Both seem to be okay, except for the fact Koji is wearing a thermal blanket, like myself. They are ushered away by the lead detective, and I am told to wait until I feel better, so I do, watching as the police take the villains away into custody.

I am happy. The villains had been unsuccessful in their plans. I recall hearing Ochaco say that Izuku broke his legs defending All Might. Aizawa and he were the only two harmed, and although I don't know my teacher's condition, I know that Izuku will be okay. Our class held it's own against the villains, and for once I am happy that I was able to help.

A smile pulls at my lips, but it's short lived once I hear someone clear their throat. I glance over and see Katsuki. He sits beside me.

"You look like absolute shit," he says.

I agree with a nod. "I feel like it too. I exerted my quirk a lot more than I should have, but we beat them, so that's all that matters."

"Don't go thinking you can match up to my strength, dumbass. That bird bastard told me you were bleeding like a stuck pig from the moment he found you," he snaps at me. His arm circles around my shoulders, bringing me closer to him. "Luck is all it was. If you had been warped to the zone I was in, there's no way you'd be in the condition that you are now."

I lean my head against his arm, fighting back a sob. He's only trying to protect me. The blond acts so mean, but I know he cares. Our relationship is meaningless, but I am someone he generally cares for. At a time like this, I assume he just doesn't want to be completely alone. I am the only person to stick by his side this long, so I don't see him pushing me away because of the path we've taken. Honestly, playing girlfriend to Katsuki makes me happy. I truly like him, even if his feelings to me boarder on allies.

"Thank you," I say quietly, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek.

Katsuki flinches. "The hell are you thanking me for?"

"You've always been a good friend to me. I value your opinion, even when you word it to make me feel bad. That's why I'm thanking you," I explain.

He doesn't sugar coat the fact I am weaker than him. I can respect this. I can also enjoy the fact he acts like protecting me is a burden on him, even though he does it a lot. Since pre school he has watched out for me. If he hates it so much, he hides it so well. I wonder what this truly is?

"You're a good boyfriend, Katsuki. I like being with you," I tease him. My elbow nudges his side.

The blond pulls himself away from me and stands. He turns and faces me, narrowing his eyes. "Don't lie to me. Now come on. If you feel well enough to joke, then you can walk your lazy ass to the bus."

I scowl at him. What does he mean? I'm not lying to him. I do as he asks, but once I stand a wave of dizziness washes over me. I fall almost immediately. Thankfully, Katsuki catches me. I can barely see his reaction, but I imagine he's confused.

"I don't feel so good, Katsuki. Something is not right," I pant, feeling short of breath.

He picks me up, pulling me close to his chest. My fingers bury into the fabric of his costume, as I allow my head to rest against him.

"Shut up and relax, woman. I'm going to find someone to help you," he orders.

I smile, but whatever he says next is a blur. My ears fill with static, and despite the blanket warming me, my body goes cold. My world suddenly goes dark.


	11. Good Feeling

Chapter Eleven | Good Feeling

"Try to remember that quirks can put a strain on the body. They are an extension of power, but without proper training the user can suffer greatly," the nurse with a bow in her hair explains. She writes several things down on her clip board as she lectures me. "In your case, Miss Usui, your mind isn't strong enough for the amount of stress you put on it. I'd suggest taking it easy for a couple of days. Then, once you are able to, try strengthening your mind a little. Don't push yourself too much, but widen the limits of your control."

I agree with her, even though I am upset with it. The news fills like salt on a wound. It seems like the practice I put in during the 10 months before the practical exam were for nothing. I may have exceeded my limits, but not by much. My mother had pushed far beyond hers in such a sort time. It feels awful that I can't.

"Does this mean I can go home?"

The nurse with a bow in her hair gives me a quick smile, then glances down at her clipboard again. "Looks so. You seem to be able to stand without feeling dizzy, and according to your tests you have a slight heart arrhythmia, but it's nothing serious. I'll ask that you avoid stressing yourself. If it persists; the dizziness and shortness of breath, you should come back immediately."

"I understand," I tell her.

She hands me a paper with my diagnosis on it, explaining my reason for being hospitalized, then allows me to go. I have been checked out already. The nurse tells me that the person is waiting out in the hallway for me, and once she leaves the room, she allows them in. I am surprised to see Katsuki here.

He comes over to the bedside and moves my food tray to the side, placing down a small bag with my necessities in it. He then sits in the chair across from me.

"Classes are canceled for the day. The school is being investigated, so you didn't miss much." Katsuki looks me over. "Get dressed. We're going on that date I promised you."

I am confused. I remember winning the date, but I don't see why he'd choose today to take me. It's Thursday afternoon. I have been in the hospital since yesterday. The way I see it, Katsuki should take the day for himself. He needs to relax too.

"Are you sure? You fought harder than me at USJ. Don't you want to spend the rest of the day at home?"

"Of course I do, fuck munch." His reply is course. He sounds tired, but I don't comment on it, and allow him to continue. "However, I lost. You made a decent score in the practical exam, so I'd be a liar if I didn't take you out. Today is a better time to go, then this weekend."

I don't argue with him. Instead, I grab the bag and stand up. I'll get dressed in the bathroom. This morning I had taken a shower, so I am good to go. Once I am inside the confines of the stark white room, I close the door and strip out of my hospital gown. I take each of the items out of the bag; my underclothes and bathroom supplies. The last item is a white dress with light blue snowflakes printed on the fabric. I remember this dress. My mother had bought it for me to apologize for missing the snow festival last year. She had said it reminded her of the statue of the snow woman in one of the pictures my father took. I love this dress. How does Katsuki know?

Once I'm done, I bag my stuff and leave the room. I decide to leave my hair down today, since it's nice outside. Katsuki glances up at me, and sits his phone down in his lap.

"Is something wrong?"

He scowls at me. "You look nice, dumbass. The dress is out of season for this weather, but it suits you."

I feel my face heat up. Did he really just compliment me? It was very Katsuki-like, but still, he actually gave me a decent compliment. "Are you sure that you're up for this? You seem different. Are you sick?"

"Piss off," he snaps. "I was only telling you that you look nice, so you won't complain. I don't have time for your mood swings."

He should take some time to look in the mirror. He's the one with the mood swings. Even so, I am happy that he likes it. His father works in the fashion industry, so I assume some of his comment spawns from the this fact. His mother might kill him if he leaves the house wearing something vile. The truth is, he looks nice anytime he goes out.

I give him a quick glance over, and slip my arms behind my back. Suddenly I feel very shy. He's wearing a red shirt beneath a black button-down that he keeps completely open. Sometimes I wonder if Masaru dresses him before he goes out. I've seen what he wears at home; sweatpants and shirts with violent logos on them. I doubt they'd let him walk around the city like a thug. However, I will admit, he looks nice either way.

"Ready to go?"

Katsuki stands up and leads me from the room. Once we make it down to the lobby I notice my father. I call out to him and run across the room to speak with him.

"Glad to see your doing better, kiddo." He pats my head. "I came here to check you out, but I ran into Bakugou on the way. He mentioned taking you out on a date, so I waited here to get your bag from you."

I laugh, honestly happy to see him. "Thank you for bringing the dress."

"It was Sachiko's idea," he admits. Sachiko is my mother's name. Somehow I had known that she was behind this.

My father rakes his fingers through his light-colored hair, and dips his head towards Katsuki. "I'll be heading back now. Try to have Airi home before dark." He pats my head once again, and takes my bag from me. I wave goodbye to him as he leaves. Soon after, Katsuki and I follow after, heading into the city.

I glance around at the shops, enjoying the bustle of the busy urban environment. But, Katsuki pulls me from my thoughts.

"Where do you want to go?"

I frown; honestly I don't know. "I don't care. Anywhere is fine with me."

"Don't give me that bullshit. I know better than that," the blond argues. "If I listen to you and take you somewhere you don't want to go, you'll complain the whole time. Now answer the damn question."

"What about you? How do you spend your day in the city?"

"I go to the arcade," he says with a sigh.

I recall him going to the arcade a lot with his friends. I had assumed it was something they liked to do. Katsuki had never taken me with them, so I knew nothing about it. Honestly I am happy. This is something new about him that I am learning. I want to be someone he can enjoy himself with.

"I've never been to an arcade before," I admit. "Let's go there."

He agrees to take me and leads me to a game center that is five stories high. I can't believe how massive this place is. We take the escalator up to the fourth floor – Katsuki refers to it as the floor with the fighting games. Once we're there, Katsuki picks a game. It's a 2 player station with knobs and buttons. The idea is to fight each other until one of us wins. I chose a character with a color scheme of hot pink; Katsuki choses a male character that's like him, uses explosives. The round begins.

Katsuki beats me the first round, but once I have the moves down, I easily beat him. During the last round, I manage to beat him again. He narrows his eyes at me, stating that I used the same move over and over. I agree, but at least I beat him.

The credit screen pops up and I am allowed to type my name in. I notice a familiar name amongst them and laugh.

"King of Explodo-kills. Is that you?"

He nods, despite being upset about his loss. I am impressed. Katsuki is really good at a lot of things he does. He has a high score in this game, which it pretty cool. I didn't do bad, but I doubt I'd be able to beat Katsuki's score.

"Give me a name," I order him. The blond furrows his brows so I explain better. "You have a nickname. I want one too."

Katsuki agrees, taking the knob in his hand. He begins to type in a name while I wait in anticipation. Once he's done I hiss annoyance. The screen reads fuck-munch. I poke at his cheek.

"I demand a rename. You can't write anything with curse words in it," I argue.

Katsuki ignores me and grabs my hand. He pulls me over to a new game, and we begin playing. He curses at me as I button punch again. Sooner or later, he'll see that playing fighting games with me is pointless. He'll never win.

* * *

Hours pass by on the fourth floor. I am having fun. Once we get bored of fighting games, Katsuki takes me to the first floor to try my hand at the crane machines. I am surprisingly good at this and score a cute, sleeping Pichu plush. It reminds me of Denki, so I laugh.

Katsuki doesn't seem to like crane machines much, but that's okay. I notice a photo sticker booth in the corner of the room and drag him over to it. He takes some convincing, but I manage to do so. We enter the booth and pay the machine, getting an option for 4 pictures. I chose this option. Within seconds we are asked to pose, and the timer begins to count down.

"How should we pose?"

"I'm not going to pose. Just let it take the pictures so we can get out of here," Katsuki tells me.

I can't allow that. At the last few seconds, I reach over and use my fingers to pull up the corners of Katsuki's lips. The camera snaps before he can protest. The next picture is wasted with him glaring at me. I pretend to never have touched him. In the third photo, I lean forward and kiss his cheek – his face turns red. The last photo is next, so I beg him to make it count. I smile and lean against his shoulder. He faces the camera, but flips it off once the shutter snaps. Honestly, I am not mad. This is Katsuki; king of pride.

As we leave the booth, I pick up the pictures and look them over. They're kind of cute. I defiantly like the two were Katsuki is being himself, so I decide to keep them. I offer the first 2 over to him, which he looks at with a soft expression, then shoves into his pocket.

We decide to leave the arcade and head home. It's getting late. On the way, Katsuki buys me a cupcake from the bakery. He catches me trying to peek at a fan service magazine at the stand across the street, and calls me a pervert. Guilty pleasures; I can't help it. I pout at his name calling and take the cupcake. It looks delicious. I thank him and eat it happily as we continue to walk.

"You eat like a damn pig, Airi. There's frosting on your face," Katsuki hisses at me.

He stops and uses his thumb to wipe the chocolate frosting from the corner of my mouth. My face instantly goes warm. Since when does he use my first name? Maybe I am overthinking this. Maybe I'm not. I really do like Katsuki a lot. A smile pulls at my lips.

"The hell are you smiling for?"

"I'm just happy is all," I admit. "I like being with you."

I notice the blush spread across Katsuki's face. He seems embarrassed, which is cute. Wish I could know what he's thinking. Maybe he likes me too.

"Do you consider this a date?"

"Yeah, I guess. Why do you ask?"

A sly smile pulls at my lips. "I just wanted to hear you say it, is all."

Katsuki glares at me, then takes my cupcake and smashes it against my face. I can feel the frosting coat my skin. My poor cupcake. Annoyance boils in me.

"I can't believe you did that," I pout. "I don't like you very much anymore."

Katsuki scoffs. "I don't believe that."

"Then you're right. I don't hate you," I admit. I wipe some of the icing away, and lick it off my fingers. "You're a good boyfriend, Katsuki. Even those times you tried to talk sense into me. I wasn't lying when I said that."

Katsuki slips off his button-down and starts to wipe away the icing on my face. This makes me kind of sad, considering I like the piece of fabric. But, he owes me for ruining my cupcake.

"We've been dating since middle school; longer if you consider preschool," he says suddenly.

I feel my stomach flutter. "Do you?"

"It's something the hag told me before I left the house," he recalls, ignoring my question completely. "She calls it a childhood romance."

"Sounds weird," I admit. Do people still have this? I never thought of what we have as a romance. I just thought of it as something life partners have. It's strange to think of us as actual lovers. We don't act like a couple.

"No shit," Katsuki agrees with me.

"Are we an actual couple?"

Katsuki scrubs at my face. "Kind of stupid to disagree now. That fucking hedgehog already told everyone we are. You didn't disagree, so now you're stuck with me. Like it or not, you're my girlfriend."

"I can live with that," I agree with a smile. "However, don't you think calling me a fuck-munch is a little mean. You should be a little nicer to me."

"Not a fucking chance," the blond hisses. He grabs my nose and squeezes hard.

I cry out in pain, swatting at his hand. He's the absolute meanest person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. "I take it back. I don't think I like you. When I get home, I'm looking for a new boyfriend. Maybe one of those cuties from that magazine."

"Good luck, pervert. None of those dumbasses can equal up to me," the blond boasts.

I wrap my arm with his and walk beside him to the station. The truth is, I wouldn't trade him for the world. I just wish he wouldn't tease me so much. A smile pulls at my lips. Tough luck, I guess.


	12. Small Acts of Kindness

Chapter Twelve | Small Acts of Kindness

I return to school on Monday like normal. It feels like the entire week never happened. The USJ incident is still fresh on everybody's minds, but no one really speaks about it. In fact, the morning is going very typical for a school of novice heroes.

"The student council will be meeting after class today," Momo informs me. This is very ordinary to me. "It will be the first one of the year, so it is important that everyone be present."

"I'll be there, Miss Vice President. No doubt about it," I assure her.

She gives me a gentle smile, then sits correctly with her back to me. It's not long before the bell chimes and Tenya goes before the class, frantically ordering us to take our seats. I merely laugh at our eccentric president. I am already seated, as is the entire class. Is he always like this?

To our surprise, Aizawa enters the room. He looks horrible, bandaged up like a mummy. I feel upset seeing him like this, especially since he had risked his life to save us. Tsuyu had told us the news of his condition this morning, but I never expected to see him back so soon. I do hope he recovers from his injuries quickly. Aizawa looks miserable as he wobbles across the room to his desk.

Tenya greets him, but Aizawa dismisses it. "My welfare isn't important, because your fight is far from over." What does he mean?

I assume he's referring to the attack at the USJ. The police rounded up the villains, but I know that they will be back. I don't know who the main boss is, but I heard he somehow escaped. I can only assume Aizawa plans to get us ready for another attack.

"U.A.'s sports festival is fast approaching," the worn down teacher announces.

The class goes into hysterics. Some of them are put off with this, considering we just went through a villain attack, but I am nervous for a different reason. It's time again for the sports festival? I nearly forgot. My family and I watch it every year, but I never thought I'd be able to compete in one. I recall the nurse telling me not to exhaust my quirk until I've learned to strengthen my mind. I don't think I can before the time limit.

I silently listen to the class talk about the opportunities that will open up for students who participate in the sports festival. Momo explains to Mineta that talent agents will attend, searching for novice heroes to take under their supervision. If I want to be a pro, this will be my best choice. My body shakes, but not from fear. I am excited. Somehow I will find a way to show off my quirk, with or without exhausting myself.

* * *

The rest of the day flies by without a problem. I quickly push my books into my shoulder bag, ready for my first council meeting. It's mentioned by Momo that Aizawa had agreed to let us meet in the teacher's lounge since the staff will be leaving. I have 30 minutes to make it to the lounge, so I decide to walk with Katsuki to the entrance. I won't get to walk home with him, so I'd like to say bye to him before he goes.

When I finish packing up my belongings, I join him near his desk. He waits for me, leaning against the tabletop with his hands shoved into his baggy pants. I don't say much, only that I'm ready to go. He moves in front of me, heading to the door. Unfortunately, it's blocked.

Students from the other courses stand outside the doorway staring in at us. I feel their eyes on me, and slink behind the blond. It's annoying just how rude they are being. Some of us have places to be.

Mineta stands in front of us. "No way out. What're they hear for?"

"Scoping out the competition, duh, small fry." He is unfortunate to have Katsuki answer him. The blond pushes to the front of the group, dragging me with him. I silently apologize to Mineta for his behavior. I notice Izuku do the same. "Cuz we're the kids who survived a villain attack. Makes sense they'd want a look before the sports festival," he adds.

"Do they have to be so rude about it, though?" I sigh in annoyance. If some of the other council members weren't blocked in too, I'd be mad. No way am I going to be late for the first meeting of the year.

Katsuki gives me a brief look. "Ignore them. They're nothing more than cannon fodder." He narrows his eyes and glares at them in the worse way. "Move aside," he growls.

I hear the class disagree with his comment. Even the students blocking our way seem to be in awe. I doubt they've ever dealt with anyone like Katsuki before; king of pride. Sometimes even I have trouble with him.

As the students chatter amongst themselves, a teen with messy indigo hair pushes his way to the front of the group. He is much taller than them, and gives off an air of annoyance toward us.

"Gotta say, I'm a little disillusioned if this is what you're offering," he says while scratching at his neck. "Those of us who didn't make the hero course are stuck in general studies and other tracks. There're quite a few of us. Did you know that? Depending on the results of the sports festival they might consider transferring us to the hero course. I understand the reverse is also possible for you. Scoping out the competition? For a general studies kid like me, this'll be the perfect chance to knock you off your pedestals. Consider this a declaration of war."

I gasp in shock. I wasn't aware someone from another track could do this. I got this far, and I will fight for my position here. My fingers tighten into fists. I open my mouth to shout at him, but Katsuki blocks my view to him, and tries to shove his way through the cluster of nosy people.

Eijirou seems to not like this. "Wait, you jerk. What're you doing to us? Thanks to you we've got a whole mob of haters now." He grabs my arm. "Ask him to stop, Usui."

What can I do? Katsuki won't listen to me. He's determined to be number one. It's not like I can judge him for this. Shouldn't his unwavering attitude toward this be how the entire class should feel? I certainly don't want to lose my chance.

Katsuki turns and gives his rebuttal before I can say anything. "I don't give a crap. I'm heading for the top. Why should I care?"

His eyes turn to me as he continues. "What will you do?"

"I'm going with you, of course. No doubt about it," I answer with a smile.

The blond offers me his hand. I take it and push through the crowd of haters with him. I'd be an idiot to disagree with him on this. As I walk with him I allow myself to fall behind in thought. He pulls me along, but his speed decreases as if to keep me from being dragged behind him. I never noticed it before, but Katsuki carries himself with pride. His head is held high and his shoulders are tense. It must be the students from the other courses. I wonder if he feels the stress from this declaration?

My heart goes out to him. I feel nervous, but I want this just as much. Sometimes I can relate to this position; being pulled along. I have no doubt Katsuki will allow me to stand with him at the top, but I don't want to be a burden. I want to find my own strength, and even if I don't make it, I will push him to the top. My shoulders feel like a weight is lifted from them. I have a new resolve; one to benefit the two of us. I lace my fingers with his own, and move in step with him. I'll no longer stand behind him. From now on, I'll be at his side.

I feel Katsuki squeeze my fingers. It's a small amount of pressure, but it makes me smile.

* * *

At the end of the meeting, I check the time. The clock reads 4:30 in the afternoon; it's been nearly 2 hours from the time we called it to order. I quickly write down the time, since it's part of my job as secretary. This job is interesting. It makes me feel like I am part of something, and with a team like mine, I know we can make a difference for our class.

Tenya goes home, after saying his goodbyes. He reminds me that our next meeting will be after the sport's festival. I happily make a reminder note in my school pad to buy a new notebook for the council. An idea comes up to make a calendar and webpage for class 1-A, so Mina and I decide to split the responsibility. She approaches me after class and asks me to join her for smoothies to celebrate our first meeting. Momo is going as well, so I agree to go with them.

Mina takes us to a shop near the station. We pay for our drinks, thanks to Momo, and shove ourselves into a small booth near the window. I sip at my strawberry and banana smoothie, listening to Mina as she talks about her ideas for the webpage. This is fun, but I feel nervous being around someone other than Katsuki or Izuku. They seem nice, however.

Momo pulls me from my thoughts. "Off topic, but what are your plans for the sport's festival? I am curious to know what others feel about it. I personally am a little anxious after all those other students came to us earlier."

"I'm not worried at all," Mina says. "I'm going to defiantly rock it and have some fun."

Momo and I laugh at her enthusiasm. The three of us are without a doubt opposites. Mina seems like the type who is excited about everything. Momo, on the other hand, is smart. She seems to go over all the possibilities, knowing that she may just as well lose. I am in between. The festival excites me, but it also scares me. I feel determined to try my hardest and win, as opposed to just having fun. When it's my turn to speak, I put down my smoothie and give them both a smile.

"I want to give it my all, so my plans are to start training once I'm able to. I actually thought about asking Katsuki to help me out," I admit.

"How romantic," Mina says with a laugh. She seems to generally mean it. "I didn't think Bakugou was the type to help others. Sometimes I forget the two of you are dating."

Momo sits her drink down, shaking her finger at Mina. "Ashido, we should be respectful of their relationship. Usui may not even want to speak about it."

"I really don't mind. If you both have questions, I will answer them." I feel a little better about my relationship to the blond. He seems to accept me as a girlfriend now, so understanding what we have may help me be a decent girlfriend to him. I assume both Momo and Mina have had serious boyfriends before. "I just ask that you don't mock me about it. This is my first relationship, so it may seem odd. Katsuki and I are a little different from some couples."

The two agree not to pick fun at me. I thank them, and wait for their questions. Mina is the first to speak. She recalls Eijirou saying that we've been together for a while; since middle school, I tell her. Her eyes seem to sparkle as the question pours from her mouth.

"How far have the two of you gotten?"

I feel my face heat up. "Not very far. We've held hands, but I've never kissed him or anything like that."

"I am shocked to hear that," Momo admits. "May I ask why?"

There's really no point in hiding it from them. The reason is very obvious, but I am happy that neither of them have asked about it before. "Yesterday was the first time we admitted to being together. We've been around each other so long, it was implied, so Katsuki and I never denied it. I have no actual clue how real couples are supposed to act."

"Small acts of kindness," Mina blurts out. "Like nicknames and hanging out. Or being content with one another."

I feel a little confused, but I know what she means. Small acts of kindness are something that Katsuki and I do sometimes. He seems to care for me, but I'm not sure. I trust him, and I know he'd never purposefully lie to me. He'd never hold my hand, or allow me to kiss his cheek if he didn't care. Sometimes, I believe he is just embarrassed to admit it.

"Do you want the relationship to move further? Commit, I mean. Have you thought about kissing him?" Momo's question makes me feel warm.

"I have," I admit. "But would it be a good idea to try? I have no clue how he'd react to it."

Momo smiles. "It can't hurt to try. I don't personally like the vile way Bakugou acts, but if you like him, then I trust your judgement." She clears her throat. "I believe this is how friends are meant to act."

Mina squeals in excitement, tossing her arms into the air. She picks up her smoothie and proposes a toast to our friendship. Momo and I agree, tapping our plastic cups against her own. The pink skinned girl suggests meeting up after every council meeting for a smoothie. We both agree.

I sip at my drink in a happy mood. It can't hurt to try. I want to kiss him, even if I don't know how he will react. I am scared of his rejection, but maybe I am in fear for no reason. The next time we are alone, I will give it a try. I am going to prove just how much I care for Katsuki.


	13. Riverside

Chapter Thirteen | Riverside

Who will win this year's annual sports festival? I read over these words many times before breaking out into a soft laugh. Mina has a way of doing things to incite this kind of behavior from me. She's a good friend, but I believe the page isn't ready for this sort of declaration yet. The pink-skinned teenager didn't even add a section for the other courses to vote. A list of names featuring the 21 members of our class are the only ones I see, and so far 2 votes have been made; Todoroki and Midoriya.

I place my vote for Katsuki – even out the odds a little. The poll looks nice, however. Mina does well to bring attention to our class. She's good at pepping us for the upcoming festival. Our webpage is colorful and very well organized. I feel unprepared for it. My calendar is nothing compared to what Mina has done. Will it even draw attention? The only date I have on it is for the sports festival. I'm fortunate to be given the half off specials from Lunch Rush. This helps to fill in the blanks. But, maybe Mina or Momo can help me to spice it up a bit. I decide to text Mina a little later, since it's Saturday morning and I don't know what she has planned for today.

In the meantime, I try to match different colors on the header for a better appeal. My laptop sits on top of my covers as I play around with the app. This is all just a distraction to keep me from the real goal. I need to train, but I fear I won't have time. School takes up most of my day, and during the evening I am here, helping my father with the chores. Not to mention I am still on restriction from the nurse. I need to find time to strengthen my mind, like she had mentioned. Still, I'm not sure about this. I have 2 weeks to think of something, so I'm not completely out of time.

I lean back on my pillows and sigh. What an exciting week. I think about messaging Katsuki, but I know he's busy. He's training his own quirk to withstand the extreme use he's about to put himself through. I have no doubt the rest of the class is too.

A light ping alerts me to a message on the chat box. Mina is on. She asks about the plans of all the students online. At the moment, Eijirou and I are the only two. He begins to type back an answer while I decide on whether or not to answer. They know I am online. My icon of Midnight shows in the top right hand corner of the box. I decide on typing back, but a knock interrupts me from doing so.

I allow the person entry, thinking that they're my father. He probably needs help with something, but when the door opens, it's not him. Katsuki walks in; I am surprised. It's early, but more importantly, it's not his style.

"Morning," I greet him.

He's dressed in his usual workout attire, but he's not completely covered in sweat. It seems like he's on a late start. I move my feet for him to sit down, but he remains standing and moves over to my side.

"Why are you still in bed?"

I glance at the clock on my computer and raise a brow. "It's 7 in the morning. I'm usually in bed at this time on a Saturday." I like to sleep; sue me. "Besides, I'm working on a project for the council. It's a calendar for Mina's webpage."

The blond gives me a confused look, probably not sure who Mina is. I refer to her as the girl with the pink skin, and he seems content with this. Katsuki bends down closer to me, and looks at the subject matter on the page. He reads the name of the poll out loud and snorts.

"Pinky set this up?"

I nod in agreement, and turn the laptop screen in his direction. He reach over and slides the mouse over his name. "You vote already?" Again I nod.

"That's my vote," I confirm. "But, I didn't do it because we're dating. I made my decision, because I believe out of everyone from our class, you can win."

Katsuki slips my laptop from me, and puts it on the bedside table. "Get up and get dressed. We're going to train together."

I pout at this. "What about the project? I want to finish it before Monday."

"Do you want to be an actual hero one day? Airi, you have a crutch that you need to work on before this happens. Sitting in your bed, and hoping you find a solution for it, isn't the same as actually doing something about it. I don't care if you think of me as an asshole for saying this, but in your current state, you'll end up in a bed for the rest of your life if you don't intend to do something about it. Do you really want that?"

"No, I don't. I do, however think you can be an asshole at times about it," I say with a glare. He's right; I don't want to end up like my mother. She had been a good hero, but she let herself be consumed by her quirk. I don't want that for myself, not after the silent promise I made.

"I'm going to train your sorry ass, so don't cuss me just yet. You're going to regret dating me after this," the blond says with a smirk.

I huff in annoyance, "Too late for that. Now leave, so I can get dressed."

Katsuki does as I ask, but before he leaves the room, he stops by the door and looks back over his shoulder at me. "Dress warm; it's chilly out."

"Piss off, blondie." I toss a pillow at him, but it bounces off the door and plops motionlessly onto the floor. Katsuki leaves the room without saying a word, which only makes me cuss him more.

I get dressed in warm clothing; a zip up jacket and leggings with pockets. Katsuki is outside waiting for me when I am done. I walk with him down the block and into a small field next to a riverside. The ground is charred and some of the grass is dead, but it appears to me mostly secluded. I assume this is where Katsuki goes to train. I didn't expect it to be so close to my house, but I'm not complaining.

He doesn't wait for me, and begins to stretch his body. I stare in awe as his muscles flex. It's really nice to see my boyfriend in a new light. I've never really noticed before, but I can see he's stacked. It makes me wonder what he looks like beneath his clothing. I feel my face heat up at this. I'm not ready for this sort of thing yet.

"What do you want me to start with?" I turn my attention away from him and kick awkwardly at the short grass.

Katsuki doesn't stop with his stretching, but he doesn't ignore me either. "Sit down and meditate. You need to learn to strengthen your mind, so I suggest beginning with that."

I sit on the ground and cross my legs. This isn't a bad way to start. I thought Katsuki may want to push me harder, but this I can manage. I close my eyes and focus on my breathing. My thoughts seem to stray a little, but I manage to pull them back and listen to the sound of my breath as it flows from my lungs. Minutes later, the blond asks me to get up. I do as he asks, clearly at peace with myself. I feel wide awake and fully energized.

"What's next, blondie?"

Katsuki smirks, clearly amused by something. He turns and points to a rut dug in the dirt. I notice it spreads around the entire perimeter of the field; all 90 feet of it. "See the line I dug out? You're going to run with me around it until I tell you to stop."

I give him a glare. "I can't keep up with you. How am I supposed to do it?"

"Suck it up, and run. I never said this was going to be easy. It's only going to get harder for you," he tells me.

I cuss at him and begin to follow him around the field. It's terrible, because I am out of shape. I've run laps longer than this before with worse coaches, so this is nothing. I do as the blond asks, running faster and longer without complaint. It sucks, but after a while he stops and throws me a drink. He was out here before he came to get me, it appears. I don't remember him carrying drinks with him.

"When you're done, go and meditate again. I expect you to do this at least several times a day, before and after you run." Katsuki takes a drink of his water and drops the bottle onto the ground near his feet.

"Shouldn't I be working on using my quirk more? I understand the meditation. It's to help me focus, but I should be trying to work with my quirk. Won't that be more beneficial to me?"

Katsuki gives me a scowl. "Go for it. Use your quirk without shoring up your mind first. It's worked so well this far."

"No need to be an ass," I snap with annoyance. I sit on the ground again and cross my legs. "Explain to me what you want me to accomplish before the festival."

"You're not at the level you need to be at yet. I don't care how good you are at using your quirk if you can't take the impact of it," Katsuki explains.

He sits in front of me, copying my posture. His hand takes one of mine, and he places it onto his lower arm. The muscle there feels stained almost and his veins seem more visible through his skin. "Overuse of my quirk will cause my arms to cramp up. The recoil hurts like a bitch, but I work my body out to prevent this from stopping me."

I rub gentle circles into his skin. I didn't know this, but it's no surprise. Every quirk has a drawback. I'm just too stubborn at times to admit mine.

"Thank you," I tell him. A smile reaches my lips. "It seems like you have a better understanding of how to work with my quirk than I do."

Katsuki sighs; he seems to like this. "Just stop bitching and trust me. I'm going to make you into one hell of a hero someday."

This is why I like him; he doesn't sugar coat the truth. I really admire him for this. My face begins to warm up. The conversation between the girls and I comes to mind. Didn't I tell myself that I would try and kiss him? I glance at his lips; they look so soft. We're dating now, so I don't see why this is a problem. Would it be stupid to just do it without giving him a warning first? I have no idea how to go about doing this.

I bite my lip in embarrassment. "Can I ask something of you?"

"Depends on what it is," the blond answers simply.

My face feels so warm. Tears are at the corner of my eyes, but I blink them away and look down at my hands. "Can I … maybe kiss you?"

"The hell for?" His voice sounds surprised.

Instantly I regret asking. I lift my hands, covering my face with them. This is a bad idea. I never should have asked him this. Can there be a way to just play it off as a joke? I fear the situation is far from over at this point.

"I'm so sorry," I stutter out. "Forget I said anything. I have no clue why I asked you that."

Katsuki pushes my hands from my face, and forces me to look at him. I feel like a damn fool, and I'm sure I look like one too. His eyes narrow at me, but his pale cheeks are dusted in red. This leaves me speechless.

"So you don't want to kiss me, then?"

I widen my eyes. Is he upset with me? "I do, but I've made this so very awkward. A first kiss is supposed to be special."

The blond lets go of my face and leans back. He seems to be deep in thought about something. He finally looks at me, and lets his expression soften. I can feel tears falling from my eyes. "Knock it off. I never said no."

"You never said yes either," I tell him with a nervous smile.

"Fuck you're such a baby," he hisses.

He leans forward and places his lips on mine. I freeze up almost instantly. This is nothing like I had expected it to be. It's gentle almost. Katsuki pulls away; I never kissed him back. I grab his shirt and pull myself forward, pressing my lips against his. My nose bumps against his, and he grunts beneath his breath, but slowly kisses me back. We sit like this for a while longer, until Katsuki pushes me back.

"Happy now, fuck munch?"

I'm not entirely sure. "Have you ever been kissed before?"

"I don't have time for stupid shit like that. You're the first one I've ever let this close to me," Katsuki snaps. He seems rather embarrassed now.

I play with a lock of my hair. Honestly, I don't know what to say. "I've never been kissed either, besides now." A smile pulls at my lips. "It was kind of awkward, but I liked it."

"No shit. You literally about busted my nose."

I give him a playful glare. He's not exactly the best at making the situation seem any less unusual. I did what I wanted and kissed him. I am content with this. A coy smirk pulls at the corner of my lips.

"So, would it be too soon to ask you for a kiss with the tongue?"

Katsuki shoves his hand into my face. "Don't get any ideas, pervert. I'm not letting your saliva anywhere near my mouth."

He's so dramatic sometimes. I huff in annoyance and swat away his arm. "We share drinks all the time. Stop being such a wuss."

"I don't share shit with you," the blond argues back. "Sometimes you just take without asking."

I bust out in laughter. This is the most fun I've had in a while. The stress of the sports festival seems to be the last thing on my mind. I have Katsuki to thank for this. I lean forward and kiss him again. This time he reacts instantly, and presses his lips harder against mine. I wonder what he tastes like? So far I am liking this girlfriend thing.

The blond separates us again, but this time instead of moving away from me, he pulls me against his chest. I lean my head on his shoulder and cuddle into him. He remains quiet from this point on. I assume he is meditating, so I do the same. The sound of our breathing calms me down, and somewhere in the distance, I hear to gentle flux of the river as it carries on. I hope to cherish these moments, for however long they last.


	14. In Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

Chapter Fourteen | In Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

 _Focus on the stream. Here it flow gently down the riverbed; slow and soothing._ I tell myself these words, hoping to find some peace in them. The water on the far end of the field seems so distant with the noise around me, hissing like static in my ears. I certainly can't meditate with it bothering me like this. Explosions shake the earth until I can no longer ignore them.

I squeeze one eye open and find the blond responsible for the high-pitched racket. He's near the tree line, shooting off his quirk in measured successions. This is only my second morning training with him, and already he's interrupting mine. He's been pushing himself to withstand more of his quirk's restrictions since we started, but even he needs the rest. Maybe then I can clear my mind in silence.

"Hey, rocket man. Take a break and come meditate with me," I shout at him.

The blond turns and flips me off, but I continue to call for him until he decides to listen, running over to me with a scowl on his face. I pat the spot behind me, and he sits with a grunt.

"Sit with me a minute, then you can go back to whatever it was you were doing. A small break won't hurt you," I say while leaning my head back onto his arm.

I can hear the rapid sound of his breathing, and use it to focus on. Katsuki remains silent, but I don't mind. The weather is absolutely perfect; the right amount of sun and a gentle breeze nearly put me to sleep. I moan in happiness, but my peaceful morning doesn't last.

Katsuki wraps his arms around my waist and buries his face in my hair. "Fight with me," he orders. I know better than to believe that he means it as a harmless spar.

I hum in annoyance, opening my eyes. The sun makes me groan in discomfort, so I sit up and move away from Katsuki. A frown pulls at the corner of my lips as I notice that he's serious.

"I can't beat you in a fight," I admit.

Katsuki agrees with me. "No, but I won't be satisfied until I get to train with at least one live opponent. Sucks that it has to be you, because I'm not going to take it easy on you."

I am still unsure about this. Katsuki is a tough adversary. He's not going to be easy to beat, and even if I do manage to punch him, the blond is going to hit me back just as hard. I shake my head in disagreement, but I doubt he'll listen.

"Why do you have to be so damn stubborn? I'll make a deal with you. If you can beat me, I'll give you that damn kiss you asked about yesterday; the tongue kiss. Will that satisfy you?"

I continue to disagree. "That's asking too much of me. I want to kiss you that way, but I can't beat you."

"I'll determine what qualifies as passing," he offers.

It's a generous offer; a one of a kind offer. But, I also feel like Katsuki might give me the kiss even if I don't fight him. I'm not dumb; I know he's trying to bribe me. This might not be so bad, but I'm going to propose an offer of my own to increase my chances.

"I'll agree to indulge you if you promise not to use your quirk on me," I say with a timid smile.

Katsuki doesn't agree with me like I had expected, but he does stand and motion for me to follow him. I do so, allowing him to lead me across the open expanse of the field. We stop about 5 meters from the stream and put some distance between one another. I stand and stare awkwardly as Katsuki begins to stretch, working his arms and shoulders around in small circles. I have no way of knowing how this fight will turn out, or how I will beat him; Katsuki is both stronger and bigger than me. He won't pull his punches, so I just need to avoid them, if at all possible.

I clutch my hands into a fist and raise them in front of my face. This should keep him from striking me in the head, and if I get the chance to throw a punch, I can do so without altering my stance much. I'm ready for this, but the blond only stares at me and waits. I wonder if he's looking for a weakness. I do my best to keep calm and not give him one.

"Last years sports festival – I know you watched it. Did you study the competitors? I followed each of their quirks; weaknesses and strengths. One thing stood out to me, something I know will break you. Do you know what it was?"

I drop my guard only a little. Something that will break me. I noticed nothing out of the ordinary; the competitors all looked the same, but their quirks were amazing. The top 5 blew away the competition, and each of them had began in a high rank class. Other than this, I have no idea. My eyes widen; it's a distraction.

Katsuki closes the gap between us, throwing his right fist at me. I yelp in surprise and manage to dodge it before he strikes me in the head. However, his right hand catches my arm and pulls me forward. I lose my balance for a second and fall against his chest. He uses this as a chance to slam his forehead into mine, inciting a cry of pain from me. It hurts to bad, like nothing I've ever felt before. I pull my arm from his hold, and push away from him.

Tears pour from my eyes and float in front of me. I'm so angry that my quirk is hard to control. "The hell did you do that for?"

He ignores me and throws another right-handed punch. I once again dodge it and put distance between us. He won't catch me again. I won't allow him to tear me apart, piece by piece.

"Answer the damn question," Katsuki hisses at me. He doesn't seem to be angry, but his eyebrows are drawn together in a permanent scowl.

I don't know what he wants me to say. My thoughts are jumbled, trying to answer his question and think of a way to beat him. If he's doing this to get the upper hand, it's not fair. I bite into my lip, and growl in annoyance. This game won't end with him defeating me.

Katsuki runs the distance between us once again. However, he doesn't throw a punch this time. His left knee makes contact with my side, knocking me to the ground. I didn't expect this. My breath leaves me as I sputter and cough.

"The answer is fairness. Each of the contestants have to leave their gear behind and compete as equals. For someone who relies on sources to activate their quirk you're at a major disadvantage," Katsuki explains.

My heart hammers in my chest. He's right; I can't win. How do I expect to prove myself to the talent scouts if I can't use my quirk? I feel so annoyed and defeated.

"Why help me then?" My voice sounds like a whisper, and I fear Katsuki may not hear me. He does, however.

"Get back on your feet," he orders me. "All you've been doing since we started is dodge my attacks. You're not trying to fight back, and that's why I'm going to beat your ass." The blonde moves to stand in front of me. He growls in annoyance before continuing. "Don't think of this as a compliment, but you're much faster and more agile than you appear. You have years of track and gymnastics under your belt, so instead of letting those skills go to waste, I suggest you pick your ass up and use them."

Katsuki grabs my arm when I don't listen, pulling me onto my feet despite my pleas for him to stop. He swings me around and locks his arm around my torso. His strong grip squeezes me. It's hard to breath like this, but the blond doesn't seem care.

"How are you going to get out of this?"

I struggle against him. "I-I don't know. You're too strong."

"Don't give me that bullshit," he hisses in my ear. "I may be stronger than you, but with enough momentum you could easily knock me off balance. A hero never bails out on a fight, and they never give up."

How am I suppose to do this? I don't have enough room to move, and even if I did there's no way I can do as exactly as he asks. It's not fair; I don't have a reason to believe in myself. How can I say this about myself? It's not entirely true.

I do have a reason. He's standing behind me, trying to guide me through this. I've had millions in my life supporting me; my parents, close friends, and coaches. My eyes widen as an idea comes to mind. I think this might be what Katsuki is trying to explain to me.

I lean my body forward just a bit, and use my arm to swing my elbow back. It connects with Katsuki's head, causing him to loosen his grip. I wrap one arm around his neck and the other around his upper arm. This reminds me of practicing on the rings in gymnastics; it all depends on my upper body strength. I use Katsuki as a support and lift my lower body into the air, bending me at the waist where my knees are nearly touching my face. My legs kick out with enough force to pull me out of Katsuki's grip, but with my arms wrapped around his neck and arm, the momentum sends him over my shoulder and onto the grassy earth in a heap. I fall onto my knees with a huff, and watch quietly as the blonde pulls himself into a sitting position.

He turns and looks at me with his eyes wide, holding his ear. My elbow must have struck it. "Are you fucking joking me? You went for the ear, and imbalanced me. Have you been jerking me around this entire time?"

I laugh at how stupid he sounds. It's a lucky shot. However, I will remember the move next time. It works like a charm, but I doubt Katsuki will be dumb enough to let me do it again.

Katsuki stands to his feet, licking at his lips. His eyes are wild, almost like a fire is lit inside him. "You're going to die for that."

He makes an attempt to strike at me before I have time to get off the ground, but I manage to avoid it and grab his arm, unlike last time. I pull him forward with the force of his swing, and bring my body into a flip. My legs wrap around his neck as my lower back lands on the ground. He is send into another roll and lands on his back with my legs still around his neck. I keep his arm in a hold until I feel something hot burn my upper thigh; a small explosion sends my leg into a world of hurt.

I release the blond, and roll onto my side. "The hell was that for?"

He smirks and sits up, curling his fingers. Tiny explosions pop and sizzle from his palm, sending wisps of smoke into the air. I should have known he wouldn't listen. This makes me so mad. My body tingles with an unknown feeling, but somehow I recognize it. I remember feeling this years ago; the fight in middle school.

My ears pick up the sound of water bubbling from the stream. It splashes wildly in the riverbed, calling me like the song of a siren. I jerk to my feet, despite the pain and chase after the tune. Katsuki pursues me; he's so close. However, I make it in time to activate my quirk. My hands motion the liquid into a wave that crashes into Katsuki and knocks him back. It swirls around me in thick sporadic ribbons.

The blond stands, and rushes me again. His quirk propels him closer to me, but I shoot at him, using the water in the form of small bullets. It does no good, however. He dodges them until he's close enough to swing at me. I do the only thing I can, and form a shield between us. Katsuki hits it full force, and the explosion knocks me back into the riverbed. I am too exhausted to fight back; I decide to give up.

"Please stop," I beg. "I've had enough."

My head leans against the muddy bank of the riverbed. The water is so cold. I follow the blond with my eyes as he splashes through the stream, making his way over to me. He grabs my arm and pulls me out, throwing me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I stare at the earth as he carries me back to our current location.

"You beat me," I admit in a whisper.

Katsuki eases me off his shoulder and sits me on the ground. He tosses me a bottle of water, and takes the spot beside me. "You gave up, like a coward. Those tosses and holds were pretty damn useful, but you have a long way to go before I pass you. Next time, I'm going to drag you back onto your feet and give you a reason to complain."

Next time, he says. He's going to continue training me. My heart swells at this. I lean my head back onto the ground and sigh. A gentle smile pulls at the corner of my lips, even though I should feel upset with my loss.

"The hell are you smiling about? I swear you're so fucking weird."

I laugh at this. "I'm just happy is all. I almost had you until you cheated."

"Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades," the blond retorts with a glare. He pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Even without my quirk I could have beat your ass into submission."

"I'd certainly hope so," I taunt with a wink.

Katsuki seems to pick up on the lewd meaning and kicks me with his foot. "Stop being a pervert, or you're walking home on your own."

I beg him not to do such a thing; I want him to carry me. He can be so mean to me sometimes. I wrap my arms around his leg and pout, but all he does is try to swat me off. Teasing him is so much fun. An idea pops into my head, making me bust out into a coy smile. I pull myself up from the grassy field, and move onto his lap while slipping my arms around his neck. He's so warm; a satisfied moan leaves me.

"You got me wet, Katsuki."

The blond shoots me a glare and tries to pry my arms off him. "The hell did I say about being a pervert? You need to stop reading those shitty fan service magazines. How the hell do you even buy those being a minor?"

His cheeks and ears are dusted in a light pink. I can't help but to laugh even harder. What would I do without him? I'm very grateful for his help; back then and even now. We're going to soar through this festival with one another's help.

The remaining weeks before the chosen date we spend together, training ourselves. I forget all about my quirk for now and focus on strengthening my mind. By the time the sports festival comes around, I am ready to face it. I plan to make the most out of my life, and uphold the promises I had made to myself to stand beside Katsuki on his dream to becoming a hero.

I owe him this much anyway.

* * *

I always like feedback and requests for one-shots. If there's a scenario you want to see featuring Airi and Katsuki, just let me know. I love to play around with ideas.


	15. Fight For Your Right

AN: Thanks for the support. To all the ones who are following the story, I am very happy that you've chosen to stick around. I especially want to thank Nix Caelum, murasakibaras, Trickster707, BrandedInIron, Fullmetal Vampire Lover, kalmaegi, chibi-no-baka, wercrazybesties4lyf, LadyBelle104, and my lovely guest for the very nice comments they left for me.

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Chapter Fifteen | Fight For Your Right

* * *

" – we'll be with you the entire way, cheering you on. Do your best, my love, and remember to have fun with it." My mother beams at me in excitement from behind the screen of my cell phone. She blows me a loving kiss, and motions for my father to join her; he's the one recording her. The message ends with him moving into the frame and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. They smile at me. I quickly pause the video, capturing this image of them in time. Tears easily blur their faces.

"Is that your parents?" Mina startles me. Momo and she are standing behind me, looking over my shoulder. I nod to her question and shove the phone back into my bag. Mina gives me a gentle smile. "They look super nice."

I reply in a whisper that they are. My heart beats loudly in my chest. It's minutes away from the start of the sports festival. The entire class is in here, waiting in a prep room for the opening ceremony to begin. I offer Mina and Momo a seat, which they take with gratitude. "They couldn't be here, so they plan to record the entire festival from home. My mother is very weird about things like this," I mention with a laugh.

Izuku quickly butts in. "So is my mom. The only difference between them is that Airi's mother was a pro hero, so she has a reason to be excited."

"No way, Usui-chan. I didn't know that," Ochaco says.

Tenya tries to calm down her excitement, but he seems curious as well. I don't mind telling them, so I explain that my mother has a telekinetic quirk. She was known as TK during her years as a pro. The accident is something that I don't mention; Izuku and Katsuki are the only two who know.

Eijirou gives me a confused look. "How come I've never heard of her before?"

"She wasn't a hero for long," I admit. My heart feels heavy at this.

I know they are curious. Someone will ask; they always do. The pity isn't something I care to deal with, however. Fortunately, Katsuki answers for me.

"Her mom didn't make a living fighting villains. She specialized in search and rescue, but she retired when Airi was born. Stop asking so many questions and leave her alone. You're all giving me a damn headache," the blonde snaps.

I smile at him. The others seem to listen, going back to what they had been doing before Izuku had mentioned my mother being a hero. He seems to be upset, but I assure him with a gentle smile that I don't mind. I know he didn't mean to bring it up, but sometimes he gets excited.

"If you ever want to talk about it, I'd love to hear more about her. That's if you feel comfortable with it," Momo whispers to me.

Mina agrees; she's not so quiet about it. "That's what friends are for."

I thank the both of them. It's nice to have people who I can go to when I have problems. No offence to Katsuki, but he's not the type to just listen. More times than not do I feel just as miserable after talking to him.

He's right about the class having to wear our gym uniforms, however. Everyone is dressed the same. A proctor made sure to explain the rules to us before we entered the stadium. Each of the classes must fight as equals; this puts class A at an advantage. I really do hope that the training I put in will help me. As I watch Katsuki sit quietly in his chair, I feel happy that he took the time to coach me. My face is warm just thinking about it.

"Looks like someone is in paradise," Mina says with a laugh. She nudges my arm, gaining my attention.

My eyes swell with tears as my skin heats up. "I may have taken the advice you both gave me."

Momo quietly claps for me, but Mina squeals in happiness. I assume she enjoys playing match maker, because she seems interested in my love life. She asks me numerous questions, but Momo and I calm her down. The attention of the room is on us, so I cheer in embarrassment for class 1-A to do their best – my skin is on fire. Everyone seems to return to their previous conversations, but the damage has been done. They must think I'm a weird person. Momo apologizes for her.

For a while, the entire class just sits in silence. I can understand the reason. It's to prepare ourselves for what's about to come. I've been trying to keep it from bothering me, but I know sooner or later the stress is bound to catch up. I sink my head down onto the table and focus on the chatter around me. A sudden conversation of interest pulls me towards the source; the entire class listens in.

Shoto calls out to Izuku, moving to stand in front of him near the lockers. "Objectively speaking… I'm stronger than you. More capable." I widen my eyes in shock and glance between the two of them. Izuku jolts, but agrees regardless. Shoto seems to not mind the attention his statement draws and continues on. "All Might's got his eye on you, doesn't he. Now I'm not about to pry into why that is, but… I will beat you."

I hear Denki comment on this, thrilled by the rivalry. He refers to Shoto as the strongest in our class; I'm not sure I'd agree so openly. He's sitting beside Katsuki, and I know the blonde sees Shoto as an obstacle to overcome. I agree that Shoto is strong – his quirk is no joke – but his resolve to become a hero seems weak compared to my stubborn boyfriend's own motivation. Still, the half and half male manages to light a fire in me as well.

Eijirou steps forward and grabs at Shoto's right arm. "Hey, man, why pick a fight now? We're about to go on." It's to prove a point, I think. Shoto has no reason to turn the class against him. He wants to trounce All Might; the man Izuku seems to be close to, otherwise he'd go after someone stronger than the green haired boy.

Izuku again agrees with him, stating that he's not very strong, not compared to the others. I feel bad for him; he's always having to fight to prove himself. Even with his quirk, Izuku seems cursed to fall short of his dream. However, he doesn't seem defeated. I watch him clutch his hands, a spark of determination flashes in his eyes. "And I'm… well, lemme say this. I'm not gonna fall behind." He glares at Shoto. "I'm going for it too. With everything I've got."

I don't understand the reason behind Shoto's declaration on Izuku, but I'm cheering for him to outshine the other. I want him to do his best, and I'll do the same. A jolt of fear nearly paralyses me as an attendant bursts into the room and ushers us up. Mina gives me a thumbs up and forces a serious look onto her otherwise excited face. I allow Momo and her to pass me, falling back to stand beside Katsuki. Out of nervousness I reach for his shirt, but at last second I pull back my hand and loop my arms behind my back. I'll do this on my own.

Our class is lead from the room and into a straight tunnel; light filters through at the end and the sound of cheers fill the air. We step onto the open field and the noise seems to amplify. I nearly get lost in the sheer size of the crowd, but Eijirou places his hand on my back and ushers me forward. He smiles, but seems pretty caught up in the amount of attention our class is drawing in.

"They're really giving us too much credit… but we won't let it shake us, right, guys?" He pats me on the back, glancing between Katsuki and I.

The blonde is pumped up, but I can only force a smile. I knew it would be like this, but watching it from the safe confines of my living room is nothing compared to the pressure I'm feeling right now. I dig my fingers into my arm and move along with the crowd to the front stage. Awe fills me as I notice Midnight is the referee for our year. I slip my hands over my mouth, tempted to squeal out in excitement; she's my all time favorite. A glare from Katsuki keeps me calm, but I want so bad to meet her.

Midnight hisses at the crowd to be quiet and stomps her foot. I sway my hips, unable to bury my excitement any longer, yanking on Katsuki's shirt with squeal. He snaps at me to stop, but Midnight's voice drowns him out. "Pipe down! Your student representative is from class 1-A, Katsuki Bakugou."

I'm not too surprised; he scored the highest in the Hero Course Entrance Exam. I'm interested in what he will say for his speech.

The blonde steps in front of the mic, but he doesn't adjust it. His voice carries across the field as he speaks, blank look across his face. "The athlete's oath… make no mistake about it. I'm gonna take first place."

I laugh as the students from the other classes boo and shout at him to be serious. They don't understand that he is. Even when he calls them all stepping stones and walks off the stage, he's anything but joking. When he takes back his spot beside me I lean over and kiss his cheek. He flinches and stares at me with his eyes wide.

"Always inspiring to see you piss off the crowd," I joke. A smile pulls at my lips, but Katsuki grunts.

"That went to you as well, air head." He easily blocks me as I swat at him. I hiss an insult, but he doesn't seem to care. The corner of his lips briefly lift into a grin. At least he includes me.

Midnight gets my attention by announcing the first event. She stalls the crowd as the television behind her sparks to life. The wide screen reads 'Obstacle Course Race' in bold letters and in the background I hear a machine whir to life; a narrow door beneath the stairs opens up. I turn my attention back to Midnight as she explains the rules.

"It's a race between every member of all eleven classes," she says. "The course is a four kilometer lap around the stadium itself. Our school preaches freedom in all things. So as long as you don't go off the course, anything is fair game." Midnight orders us to take our positions in front of the gate.

I feel a little relieved to hear it's nothing more than a race. I've done plenty of them in the past, so it should be no difficult task for me to complete. Even without a quirk I should still be fine. I get into position and watch as the clock ticks down. The light above the door turns green and the race begins. I sprint forward, but immediately am I held up. The gate is too narrow for us all to go through. I squirm my way through, pushing passed the gate and just barely miss being frozen to the ground by a wave of ice that Shoto leaves in his wake. Leaping to a clear section of earth I gradually set my pace and chase after him.

The ground rumbles beneath my feet; robots are on the course in front of me. They appear to be the same ones from the practical exam – a live commentary from Present Mic confirms this. _Damn it!_ I don't have any of my gear with me. The only course of action is to steer clear of them. Even Shoto comes to a stop; a massive zero point is front of him. There's so many of them lying in wait.

I watch as Shoto crouches and touches the ground. Ice begins to form around him. As a faux robot strikes at him, he slides his fingers across the ground and lifts them into the air, sending a wall of ice into the massive giant. It freezes over and stops moving, allowing Shoto the chance to move on. Several of the students including myself go to follow, but the few he incased in ice begin to fall. I manage not to get crushed and force my way through the path of shredded metal and broken parts. The ones who recover move forward too and carve paths ahead.

Dodging and weaving through the many robots on the course, I try to keep clear of them. A sudden yell stops me dead as someone falls in front of me. A male student with an undercut rolls away from a 2 pointer as it tries to roll over him. I run to his side and offer to help him up, despite loosing my place in the race.

"Thanks," he says, taking my hand. His fingers are very warm as I help lift him onto his feet. "Tripped on that damn ice. It's starting to melt." He brushes dirt off his clothes and smiles at me.

I blink and glance at a chunk of metal that is covered in patches on ice. He must of stepped on a sheet and fell. It looks slick with precipitation as the heat of the sun melts away at it. I activate my quirk and swoop my fingers up, happy when the drops of water follow with it. The male whistles in wonder.

"That's nifty," he states.

I smile and bob my head. "It will do." As I begin to run again, he calls out to me, but I unfortunately have no time to dawdle. I collect as much as I can, running down the course until I have enough to form a compact sphere. It's no bigger than the palm of my hand, but I continue to rotate it as I run. A broken 1 point robot lines me up for a shot, directly in front of a 2 pointer. I pick up my speed and leap onto the smaller robot, using it as a means to get me onto the other. I fire the sphere and it shoots through the eye of the 2 point robot, shattering it to pieces. I jump from the heap of junk and continue down the course, using the melting ice from Shoto's quirk to my advantage.

The first stage comes to an end once I reach the stairs. At the top is a cavern linked by thick metal cables. It reminds me of a balance beam. I'll have to take this slow, but I have no doubt that I'll make it across. A versatile quirk like the one Katsuki has would make this a cake walk, but I have no time to complain; I ease onto the cable and begin across the cavern. A few times I almost loose my balance, watching the others as they zoom passed me. I force them from my thoughts and take it nice and slow until I reach the other side, running through the barrier to the 3rd and final trail.

I come to a stop at the edge of an open path, mortified by the obstacle. People are being knocked into the air, blasted by what I assume is land mines beneath the ground. I can see their imprint in the earth, but some of them are clustered together almost impossible to move around. I find myself again wishing for a quirk that would benefit me more than my own.

Students blow up all around me in beautiful displays of color. I take it slow, eyes on the ground as I pin point each of the mines. They're closer than I would like, but I jump and easy over the ones that seem impossible to move around. An abnormal blast from behind me nearly knocks me from my feet. I squeal in annoyance as the shockwave scatters dust and earth into the air. When it's clear to see I glance up and notice Izuku fly over us, riding on a piece of metal from the faux robots in stage 1. I hear Present Mic comment on it, saying that Izuku managed to pass up the 2 in the lead. Shaking off the surprise I feel, I quicken my pace and run for the exit.

Izuku makes it back to the stadium in first place. I eventually do the same, leaning over with my hands on my knees to help catch my breath. So many others are here already; I have no idea what number I place. I feel exhausted and in need for a rest, but I stand up and search for Katsuki.

"There you are." I see him near the entrance gate. The expression on his face is as expected; he's mad at losing to Izuku. I know better than to bother him, so I stay where I'm at. He'll either come to me, or keep to himself for the rest of the festival.

Midnight calls us to the stage. She lifts her mask and smiles at the crowd. "So it's finally over. Let's check the results." The screen behind her lights up and the faces and names of contestants filter across.

I watch eagerly as my friends make it to the second round – Katsuki in 3rd and Eijirou in 9th. My name appears 15th on the board; between Mezo Shoji and Rikido Sato. Momo and Mina make it as well, but the list stops at 45.

"The top 45 from this qualifying round will move on," Midnight tells us. She clasps her hands together and smiles again. "But for those who placed lower, don't worry. We've got another way for you to show your stuff." She's so beautiful up there; a real elegant and professional woman. The handcuffs on her wrists twinkle in the light of the sun. "Now on to the second event. I already know what it is, of course… dying in suspense. Next up is… this."

 _Calvary Battle._ I stare in confusion at the words on the screen. I don't recall seeing this event before. It sounds like a team type battle. Midnight explains that each of the remaining participants will form a 2 to 4 member team and get into a horse and rider formation – an example featuring All Might appears on the screen. The goal is to snag our opponent's headbands and increase the value of our point system, depending on the value of our member's headbands. Since I ranked 15th, my points equal up to 140. That's not entirely bad; I won't have to worry about being targeted. Izuku, on the other hand, has a value of 10 million points. The entire field of participants will be after him.

I feel generally bad for him, but such is the life of heroes. I'm willing to bet even Midnight has to stay at the top of her game when in the field. It's a dog eat dog world and most don't make it after certification. All Might is the best, but those around him still manage to break from his shadow from time to time. They have to, or they'll find that being a hero is not as easy as some assume; like in running, hitting the wall means the end.

That's why this festival means so much to some. The more attention one draws, the better their chances are of making a name for themselves. I have a decision to make, an important one. Team battles are so difficult to manage. I don't know the extent of everyone's quirk and with so little time to choose, I have to make it work.

I glance around the field, watching each of the participants use their 15 minutes to find a suitable team. _What should I do?_ There are 44 students out here; 44 with individual quirks. Katsuki is the only one whose quirk I am familiar with, but I doubt without use of my own I can help him. _Time is running out. Choose someone; anyone._ I am conflicted with this decision. Do I ask someone from my own class? Do I ask someone not from the Hero Course? Time won't wait on me.


	16. Little Monster

Chapter Sixteen | Little Monster

 _What should I do?_ I weight out my options again; join a team with my own classmates or assemble one from scratch. The pros and cons are endless. I assume that most of class 1-A have already chosen. Katsuki would be the best choice, but I have my reasons for not wanting to join him. The time limit given is running out and I have no idea where to start.

I take a second to clear my thoughts; bury the worries of my choices in the back of my mind. No matter the team, I have faith that we'll do our best. Every person here wants to be a hero. It's the reason for their declaration of war against us weeks prior to this day. I have no concern that whoever joins me will do their best. My legs urge me to move forward; before time runs out I must chose. The students around me part ways, moving either left or right. My eyes stop on a girl who seems to be just as lost. I approach her, calling out in a soft voice.

The confused girl turns to me, but her face goes in the opposite direction. She wears unique glasses with a swirl pattern in them and has her short dark blue hair pulled into a ponytail on the right side of her head. I clear my throat and reach out to touch her arm, but she grabs my wrist before I touch her. My eyes go wide in fear; I'm baffled.

"I didn't mean to scare you. My name is Airi Usui from the Department of Heroics; class 1-A. I saw you didn't have a team yet, so I was wondering if you wanted to join me." I ease my hand from her grip and wait in anticipation. Did I come on too strong? The taller girl seems in awe.

Her pale skin becomes red and she smiles. "I'm Chieko Aoki of class 1-C; nice to meet you. I'd – uh – love to join you." She shares with me her point value; 30. Her fingers curl around the frame of her glasses as she adjusts them. "Should we discuss our quirks or wait until we assemble the others?"

I agree that it will be easier to discuss once we have the others, so we decide to wait. Chieko smiles and tells me that she has an idea who we can recruit next. She describes her as being energetic; another member of the General Education Course. Her quirk is useful, a blend of defense and offense. I nod and listen to Chieko as she describes the girl. She asks me to find her and apologizes for being of no help; I don't understand, but I agree to look for her. I find her amongst a big group of students – very long green hair gathered into four consecutive pigtails. I point her out and Chieko grabs my arm, leading me to her.

As we move through crowds of people one of them grabs me. Chieko shrieks in shock as my arm pulls her back. I turn and notice Katsuki behind me. He glances at the strange girl, then looks at me. A crowd of people are behind him – Mina, Eijirou, Hanta, and a few others from our class. I release the blue haired girl's hand and jump forward, hugging him.

"Knock it off, idiot." He pushes me back and holds me at arm's length. "Listen; team up with me. I have no idea who these extras are. They keep nagging the hell out of me."

I shake my head and laugh. "That's not very nice, Katsuki. Best play nice with your friends." A cute giggle leaves my throat as he grunts in annoyance. I narrow my eyes and place my hands over his. "I can't join you; I'm teaming up with Aoki-chan. She's taking me to meet our 3rd teammate. Sorry, but I want to do this on my own for once."

"Whatever, just don't forget what I taught you. If you fail then it's on you." Katsuki releases me and turns his back to me. I see Mina give me a thumbs up and I do the same before returning to Chieko's side. She and I continue our search.

Once we make it to the eccentric girl, Chieko runs up and begins to speak to her. I don't hear what they say, but she jumps up and down in glee so I assume she agrees. Chieko and she walk up to me and the girl shoves her hand between us.

"Usui, right? I'm Kumi Fujioka. Scored low in the race, but my value is 50." I shake her hand. She and Chieko begin to speak to one another again while I look around for a 4th teammate. Just as I'm about to ask Kumi if she knows of anyone else to ask, a voice interrupts me.

The same boy from the race stands beside me, waving. "Glad I found you. Thought you may already be taken, but I guess I got lucky."

"She is taken," Kumi clarifies. She points between Chieko and herself. "The 3 of us are a team, but we have an opening if the boss doesn't mind."

I raise a brow. Did she mean me? The 3 of them look to me and I nod; my face is warm. Since when am I the boss?

"I won't let you down. The name is Youta Abe, but I insist you call me Youta; not real big on the surname, even if it's the polite way to address someone." Youta tells us that he's a member of the Department of Heroes; class 1-B. I don't remember seeing him in the hallway during our scuffle with the other classes, but he assures me the race wasn't the first time he saw me. "No offense, but I'd be ignorant not to accept your offer. You're from class 1-A and the rumor is that you've fought toe to toe with a villain before. That's pretty big news."

I disagree with him, but he explains that his class is pretty jealous of us – the name Monoma comes up; I remember him. "Is it really okay? Do you both agree to let him join us?" Chieko and Kumi nod. We have our team. I bring up the topic of our quirks and think it's a good time to discuss them.

"You first, boss." Chieko smiles at me.

My face heats up again. I begin to explain to them about my quirk; the name and only weakness I choose to tell them. They understand that I can't activate it without a source, but I assure them that I can protect myself without it. Weeks of training with Katsuki was beneficial to me. I give a nod to Youta once I'm done, motioning for him to begin.

The confident male smiles. "I may be of use to you, Airi-chan. In the race, you used that ice to activate your quirk. If we're faced with it again, I can use my quirk to help you out." He lifts his hand and the air around it begins to wave. "My quirk is heat generation; I just call it Heating. Basically I can increase the kinetic energy of atoms around my hands. The heat ranges from slightly warm levels to absolute hot, but the longer I use it, the more at risk I am at harming myself."

I remember his hands being warm when I helped him up. My face becomes warm in embarrassment as I also remember him calling out to me, obviously trying to team up. I make a quick apology to Youta.

"No problem," he laughs. "I'd be of better use in the back, so I can protect you easier."

He wants me to be a rider? I shake my head and explain that I wouldn't be the best choice, but Kumi disagrees with me. She explains that her quirk will protect me from the other side. Her long, green hair begins to rise and I stare in awe as it flows like ribbons through the air.

"My quirk is Chaetokinesis," she explains. A strand of hair snaps like a whip. "My only weakness is that fire and ice type quirks can limit my abilities, but I promise that I'll have your back no matter the case." I am grateful.

It's now Cheiko's turn – Youta mentions with a coy smile. The shy girl adjusts her glasses and sets her lips in a frown. "I won't be much help protecting you, but I may still be of use. My quirk is called Gut Feeling; it allows me to sense nearing danger and intuitively read the body language of others. I can't exactly tell you what it's like, but I have this feeling in the back of my head and I act according to it."

I wonder about something. "Do you have trouble seeing? When I came to you earlier I noticed that you turned the opposite way of me, but when I tried to reach you … well, you know. Was that your quirk activating?"

"Yes and I'm sorry about that. I have extreme myopia, so I'm not able to see far distances. My glasses help a little, but not enough to stop my quirk from activating. I've learned to consider everything a threat," she explains. Her arms curl beneath her chest as she grabs her biceps with a shiver. "Please be understanding with me; I am scared I'll fail. If I'm to be in front, I'll do what I can to help."

"You may not have to be upfront. I'd like you to be the rider." The 3 of them gasp; Chieko lifts her hands in defense. She doesn't seem to understand, so I explain it to her. "From on top, you can use your quirk to warn us before someone attacks us without having to focus on the 3 behind you. I'm not sure how it works, but I know you'll do better in command. Fujioka-chan can lead; her quirk has distance and can keep our points from being taken. Then, Youta-kun and I will take the back. If we come in contact with Todoroki's quirk, I'd like him to be close."

Chieko shakes her head. "I don't know if I can. I don't want to upset you by not reaching those expectations. You have too much faith in me, boss."

I assure her that she'll do fine; Youta and Kumi agree. Besides, rider doesn't suit me. It's time someone else takes the lead – my class will understand. Chieko smiles and bobs her head in agreement; I believe in her. We move onto the sidelines and give Chieko a second to remove her shoes, then we lift her up. Youta and I support her as she leans her weight on our arms; my fingers grab tight to Kumi's shirt. We're given a combined headband of 315 points. Chieko slips it onto her head as Midnight begins the countdown for the battle. It begins shortly after and teams dash out onto the field; our team remains still.

"Where do we start?" Kumi glances over her shoulder at me. "Should we go after the 10,000,325 point band?"

"A classmate of mine has it; his name is Izuku." I look over her arm and spot Izuku in the crowd. He's teamed up with Ochaco and Fumikage; the 3rd member I don't recognize. Several teams surround him, but he manages to escape them. Having Fumikage on his team is a good plan; his quirk is fast and can keep others from getting close to Izuku and his band. I chew on the inside of my jaw. "It would be a waste of time to go after him. Tokoyami is his strongest asset and Uraraka can use gravity to her advantage; we'd never get close enough to swipe it." I've worked with Fumikage before and once against him. Plus, we don't know the quirk of the other female.

Youta bumps my arm and gets my attention. "Why not work our way up. It's a rough road, but one less traveled. Everyone seems to be going after your classmate, so we should make our move while their attention is elsewhere."

We come to an agreement and rush into the crowd. Our team avoids sand traps and various quirks as Izuku and his team launch themselves into the air. The others are too busy chasing them that their riders don't notice when Kumi uses her quirk to snatch our first band.

An explosion suddenly rocks the field. I see Katsuki go airborne, chasing after Izuku. We take advantage of excitement and manage to grab another headband. As we move from the crowd, I feel Chieko stiffen up.

"There's someone beside us; not moving." Kumi turns her head, long hair floating in the air. I glance over and see Neito and his team; he's wearing several bands around his neck. His blue eyes meet mine and he smiles.

"It's been a while, Usui-chan." He orders his team closer, but Youta urges us to keep our distance. Neito seems annoyed with him. "We're not going to attack, but I'm surprised to see one of our own teamed up with a member of the A class. You must be desperate, Abe."

Youta snorts in laughter. "Couldn't help it. I saw my chance and took it."

My eyes shift between them; the air feels tense. Youta gives me a sad smile and tells me not let my guard down. I nod and face Neito. "I'm not sure what's going on between the 2 of you, but we don't want trouble. If you try to attack us, we'll fight back. Please let us go on our way, Monoma."

"We'll let you go," the blond promises. His team protests, but he orders them to trust him. "I like you, Usui-chan. I expect less from a member of class 1-A, but you surprise me. That arrogant boyfriend of yours doesn't suit you. He's a war criminal and not fit to be a hero."

Does he mean Katsuki? I wasn't aware he knew about us. I smile and lean my head. "I have no idea what you mean. But I do know that teasing me won't help you. We're a lot alike, he and I; easy to anger." Neito must understand that I won't accept someone messing with my team – Katsuki included. I don't wait to hear a reply. Our team moves away, going in the opposite direction. Chieko seems to calm down, so I assume he stayed true to his word.

"Can we trust him not to attack us?"

Youta shrugs; narrowing his eyes. "Not sure. He seemed serious about liking you; best keep your distance. Monoma isn't a bad guy, but his obsession with your class is unstable. More than a few of us in class 1-B share his views." This makes me suspicious of him, but he also has a motivation to win. I don't blame him for using me as a stepping stone to achieve his dream.

Our team continues on, searching for other chances to take a headband. Minutes are left and I am afraid to check the board. I've done everything I can to ignore Present Mic and his commentary, but I swear he says that Katsuki lost his points. I have no time to contemplate it, because Chieko shouts my name. There's someone closing in on us.

A team of girls come into view. Their rider is a girl with orange hair tied up on the side of her head. She isn't wearing a headband, but she has several around her neck. As they get closer, Youta shouts for us to brace ourselves. The girl's hand enlarges and she swipes at Chieko with it.

"Dunk down," she yells.

We do as she asks, but the wind from her sudden attack nearly knocks us over. Kumi wraps her hair around Chieko to keep her balanced as we stand. The girl attacks us again, reaching for Chieko with her large fist. Before she does, Kumi grabs her arm and stops her attack.

"We need to put distance between us. That's Kendo Itsuka from my class." Youta grunts as the weight of Itsuka's quirk pushes down on us. We're pinned. My arm comes out to block a grab from the girl in the front.

Itsuka uses her other hand to reach for Chieko's headband and easily grabs it since Kumi can't defend herself. I try to reach for it, but the girl in front grabs my arm. Thankfully, Youta manages to reach her. I assume he uses his quirk, because Itsuka yelps in pain and releases it; Chieko ties it back around her forehead. A wall of ice covers a corner of the field and we use the distraction to snag one of Itsuka's headbands and run away. Youta laughs in excitement and hands the band over to Chieko; he knows his classmates best.

"What do you say, Aoki-chan?" He smiles and bares his teeth at her. "Go big and aim for the mega points?"

The shy girl nods. "I don't see why not. But time is ticking."

Kumi and I agree with them; it can't hurt at this point. I feel invincible. Urging Kumi forward, I set my eyes on the wall of ice. It's huge, but also unstable. I assume it's meant to keep team Midoriya in rather than keep out the other teams. As we get closer, Kumi bangs her fist against it, knocking off small chunks of ice.

"Should we stop here, boss? The ice may look thin, but I bet it will be just as tough to break."

I shake my head. "Why stop now? You all seemed hopeful to try." I raise my hand and activate my quirk, combining small drops of the liquid together into an ambiguous shape. Youta seems to catch on to what I'm planning, because he has Kumi move closer so that he can place the palm of his hand flat on the bumpy surface. The ice begins to heat up and more moisture leaks from it. I gather as much as I need, but the wall still looks thick. "Keep going, Youta-kun. The thinner the ice, the easier it will be to blast through."

"I'll do my best," he assures me. Sweat begins to form on his brow and the palm of his hand becomes red and blistered. I hate to ask so much of him, but I don't want them to walk away without at least trying to overtake a member of my class.

A thin layer of ice is all that is left when I order Youta to stop; he thanks me in exhaustion. Through it, I can see the blurry image of the 2 teams. They are right in front of us. I compact the water and focus my thoughts on the property of it; the blast needs to be strong enough to break through the ice. Once I have it, I shoot the sphere over Kumi's shoulder and into the wall. It rips through the ice and cracks streak the surface like a cobweb. Kumi leans her foot back and kicks at it, bringing a large section of the wall down. Our team charges through the opening just in time for me to see Izuku slice the air with his quirk. He manages to grab one of Shoto's headbands as Present Mic announces the remaining time; 17 seconds. We race full force for the level-headed half and half male and his team – no plan for overtaking him.

A break in the ice distracts me for a second and my eyes widen as I recognize Katsuki as the one who broke through. His narrowed glare lands on me and for a moment, he looks confused. I hear Youta shout for Kumi to make a grab at one of the bands, but as she does, time runs out. She slams to a sudden stop and I topple into her back; Youta and Chieko fall on top of us and the entire team is in a heap on the ground. I groan in pain and shuffle onto my elbows, staring at Katsuki as he face plants the dirt. My lips twitch as I nearly laugh, but the weight of the 2 on my back puts pressure onto my lungs. Chieko thankfully gets up and helps our team to stand again.

"Let's see who the top six teams are right now." I frown at the sound of the pro hero's sharp voice. 6 teams are going to pass. I wonder what the chances are of us being one of them. Shoto and his team place first; I ignore the cheers of the audience and run over to help the blond off his face. He stays on the ground, punching at the dirt as his team places second. I want to assure him that everything will be okay, but before I can open my mouth, Kumi and Chieko tackle me to the ground; a squeal of surprise escapes my lips. Youta stands beside us, shaking his head in annoyance.

"We did it! Boss, we made it." Kumi hugs me, wrapping her long hair around my waist and arms.

Chieko laughs and helps me pull Kumi from my body. She points up the screen and I am surprised to see our team in 3rd place. The remaining places go to Shinso, Midoriya, and Otaka. I don't know 2 of them, but I'm happy to see more than just our class in the final trial.

"Looks like my gamble lucked out," I hear Youta say. "Thanks for helping me this far, Airi-chan."

I smile at him despite the disappointment I feel. Something seems off about him; he's acting like a rival. "Thank Aoki-chan and Fujioka-chan. Without them, neither of us would have made it this far." My heart pounds against my chest. Is he like Neito? Does he really want to overtake my class to the point he's willing to make enemies of us? I don't really believe he's like this. "I'll be seeing you in the finals; we may fight or we may not. Either way, good luck to you. I hope you continue to do your best."

Youta widens his eyes, but remains silent. He stares at me a while longer until the lunch announcement is made. I watch him turn and disappear into the growing crowd. A frown pulls at my lips. Is this really how heroes are supposed to act?

I hate war; it brings out the monster in all of us.

* * *

AN: This chapter and the few after it were hard for me to write. I didn't want to put Airi in a team with the cannon characters of MHA; I wanted to make a completely new team just for her. Of course this meant an additional set of characters to pin Team Aoki against. I do enjoy reading the speculations from some of my readers; whose team Airi might join. There were some good theories.

On another note, I decided to work on a new OS for MHA. It's basically a request piece were I will allow readers to submit an OC of their own; giving them the opportunity to be written in a relationship with one of the cannon cast. If anyone is interested, please give it a look and message me. I created a forum for it, so I'll send you the link after you message me.

Feel free to check out the rest of the forum if you like.


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